Yours and Mine
by zukoisabeast1
Summary: Everyone has a story. When two people meet their stories come together, they intertwine, sometimes in unexpected ways. Time passes, things happen, and people can't always stay. Lifes a long while, but they'll always meet again. Post-War Zutara.
1. Six Months Later

**A/N: **this is my first Zutara story that isn't a one shot. I have the basic idea in my head and I'm warning you now the Zutaraness comes in pretty slowly since I have to set it up first. I hope you like it and sorry for any mistakes. Reviews are appreciated!

* * *

**Yours and Mine **

**Six Months Later**

Zuko awoke to the familiar warm tingle in his veins, a surge of energy washing over him. It was sunrise. Being a firebender he always rose when the sun did, but today it was not just the suns golden rays that coaxed him out of bed. Today his friends were coming. He hadn't seen them since the end of the war six months ago. They had all stayed for a few days after the war had ended, but eventually they had to return to their homes and help rebuild what the war had so maliciously destroyed. He had to stay and restore the honor his nation had once held so dear.

It was easier said than done.

The last six months had been grueling at best. Even with his uncle's guidance, there was still so much to be done and reviewed and planned and revised. At first it was so overwhelming, with the rebellions and corrupt officials still loyal to Ozai. It was a challenge just to keep the Fire Nation from going completely bankrupt from war reparations, but through a lot of convincing from the Avatar the other nations generously decided to give the Fire Nation more time and only charge minimun interest. Things had started to quiet down from the post-war calamity, at least for now. At the moment stacks of paperwork were his biggest rival. But not this week; this week was the first annual Peace Summit. Though the days would be spent reviewing treaties and negotiating, the nights would be spent laughing and joking amongst his friends. It would start tonight with the grand Peace Celebration.

Zuko turned over to face the empty side of his bed. Empty. He wasn't really sad, he and Mai were still friends and the decision to end their relationship was mutual. They both realized they were childhood sweethearts, first crushes and nothing more. They loved each other, but were not lovers and had come to terms with that. Still he wondered when the day would come when he'd wake up and see someone beside him.

It was lonely times like these when Zuko missed traveling with the Gaang. He missed the colorful people that were his friends, though he didn't show it that much, they meant a lot to him.

He pushed himself up on his elbows and surveyed his room. It was basked in a soft golden light coming in from the balcony on his right. The chamber was decorated in shades of red and gold, complimented by the glossy black marble floor. His bed was huge, with ornate carvings delicately weaving through the cherry wood and sheets made of the finest silk. The room itself was sight to behold, with its gilded furniture and priceless artwork, but Zuko's favorite part was the balcony.

He rose from his bed and opened the grand doors, welcoming the cool morning breeze that tousled his hair and the warmth of the sun on his skin. This was his favorite time of day, watching the sun rise from the ocean and bring a new day. It was a breath taking sight.

After a few minutes, Zuko peeled his eyes away from the sight and went to his bathroom to get ready for the eventful day ahead.

* * *

Katara could not wait; she was beaming with excitement. Today she would finally get to see all her friends again.

She leaned against the rails of the ship, squinting to make out the sliver of land that was the Fire Nation. Her stomach coiled with anticipation as she thought about the last few months. Being back home was amazing, she had missed the South Pole, and she was happy rebuilding her tribe alongside her family, but some nights she would think back longingly to nights around the campfire with her friends, playful banter and sarcastic remarks (mostly from Sokka) filling the night. It would be like old times again.

She always saw Sokka (sometimes a little too much). She had seen Toph and Haru a few times when she had gone to the Earth Kingdom or they had come to visit. Aang visited often when he didn't have Avatar duties to attend to. Thankfully the awkwardness between that had finally faded and they went back to their former friendship. Her and Aang had tried the dating thing, but she soon realized that their hugs were purely platonic and she kissed him out of duty. She realized she loved him, but not as a lover. When she told Aang about this, he had taken it surprisingly well. He said that during recent trips to the Spirit World he too began to realize that their love was a companionable love, one shared by friends, not lovers.

It had been a little awkward after that, but they had soon gotten over it and were back to being great friends.

She was happy to be seeing all of them again, but she was most excited about seeing Zuko. She hadn't seen the firebender since the end of the war, his nation needed him to stay and and her tribe needed her to come back. Plus they were half way around the world which made visits even more difficult. They had still kept in touch though, sending letters back and forth. They started as enemies, but now he was truly one of her best friends.

They finally docked at the port.

"Sokka we're here!" she squealed.

"It's about time! I'm so ready to get off this boat." He replied.

When she got off the boat she saw Zuko, his uncle, and their entourage of guards and servants on the docks.

"Zuko!" she cried excitedly as she ran and attacked him with a hug. He was just like she remembered, strong and sturdy with the smell of sandalwood and jasmine clinging to him. It was a comforting yet foreign scent. The guards had stepped forward when they saw the young woman running towards their Fire Lord, ready to defend their leader. But stepped back when the saw the rare smile on their lord's face as he returned the girl's embrace.

He chuckled, "It's great to see you too, Katara."

"Don't I get a hug too?" Iroh asked causing Katara to giggle. "Of course you do," she said as she embraced the aging man.

"Zuko! Long time no see. How've you been buddy?" Sokka exclaimed as he came off the ship and embraced Zuko in a handshake turned hug.

"Hey, Sokka. I've been good, just running a country, no big deal," he said with a smirk.

"When are the others coming?" asked Katara, eager to see the rest of her friends.

"Toph and Haru should be coming with other representatives from the Earth Kingdom in a few hours. Aang said he'd meet us at the palace since he has Appa. And Suki said she's coming late at night during the celebration," he informed.

Katara saw the gleam in Sokka's eyes and the excited look on his face at the mere mention of Suki's name. She laughed mentally; her brother was truly in love. At the very back of her mind, the place that held things she would never admit to herself, she was a little envious. She was ecstatic that her brother had found his other half, but still wondered when she would find hers.

Sokka, Katara, and Iroh spoke for a few minutes as Zuko greeted Chief Hakoda, Chief Arnook, and other representatives from the Water Tribes. After the formalities, the large group made its way back to the palace, telling stories and sharing memories along the way.

At the palace, the servants showed everyone to their rooms and the entire palace was filled with commotion, which turned into chaos when the Earth Kingdom representatives arrived. Servants scurried about with bed sheets and extra pillows as the representatives conversed with one another, laughing and shaking hands. Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Haru had had their own heartfelt greeting after which they proceeded to joke about how Haru had finally shaved and gotten a decent haircut.

"I think his hair looks good short" Katara stated. It did look better; she always liked the short, scruffy look.

"Thank you, Katara. See some people like my knew look," he said triumphantly to Toph.

"I didn't say I didn't like it! I'm blind, I don't even know how it looks", she said exasperated, "I just said you should have told me you cut you're hair so I wouldn't have gone up to that lady and punched her thinking it was you. You had long hair and walk like a girl, its not my fault I mistook you for a woman!"

"I do not walk like a girl," he huffed.

"You did kind of look like one though," Katara teased.

"Well at least you finally look like a guy now." Sokka interrupted, laughing and wrapping an arm around Haru's neck. Haru was about to reply but was cut short by Toph.

"Way to show up, Twinkletoes," Toph smirked and punched Aang in the arm.

He laughed, "Hey Toph, nice to see you again too" he said as he rubbed the already forming bruise on his arm.

"What took you so long Aang?" asked Sokka.

The young Avatar just shrugged, "Appa got hungry."

The group chatted for a while and went back to teasing Haru before Aang was pulled aside by a few Earth Kingdom representatives. He gave a parting smile before he bounced away to greet the other nation representatives.

* * *

Zuko stepped out from the conference room with the Earth Kingdom representative.

"Thank you, General Ten Jee. I will take your requests into consideration and we will discuss it further in the upcoming peace meetings." The general had just arrived and within twenty minutes he had requested and audience with the Fire Lord to discuss trade negotiations. Zuko had listened and found it in himself to not tell the man off. They had briefly discussed the issue (not briefly enough in Zuko's opinion) until Zuko had had enough and told the man they would talk about it later, his tone was polite and the man was about to say something more until he saw the barely concealed annoyance in Zuko's eyes and wisely kept his mouth shut.

He watched the man walk away and gave a mental sigh. _Finally_.

The young lord scanned the room and saw his friends talking. Aang was now there. Zuko smiled, he hadn't seen the monk in a long time. Aang stayed for a little while after the end of the war to help him, but had to leave soon after. The world had needed the Avatar elsewhere.

Zuko looked at his friends. They were so diverse, each one of them had such different personalities, yet they were still friends. That's what made their friendship stronger. If anything good came of the war it was that he had gotten the chance to meet these people. His thoughts lingered as he made his way over to the group, the Gaang.

"Zuko, it's great to see you again." Aang said, shaking Zuko's hand. The younger boy looked a little tired, they were all tired. Rebuilding the world was not an easy task, but he could see the glint in the monk's eyes and knew his friend was happy. Tired, but happy, that's how they all were.

"You too, Aang." He replied with a smile, something he realized he was doing quite often today.

"Zuko, you didn't comment on Haru's new haircut" Sokka said as he tousled Haru's hair. Haru rolled his eyes, "Okay next year I'm definitely not cutting my hair before coming. Don't want a repeat incident of this." The group laughed and continued with their idle chatter about Haru's hair and other little things until they went to their rooms to get ready for the celebration.

But before Zuko could leave, Sokka had pulled him and Haru aside saying he needed to talk to them. Zuko gave Haru a questioning look. _What's this about?_ Haru just shrugged. _I have no clue._

They made their way to a secluded corner of the huge room before Sokka turned to them, a grin plastered on his face. "I'm going to propose to Suki!" he exclaimed as if he had kept that bottled up for too long. "On the last day of the meetings, during the festival." Surprise and happiness covered Zuko's face and he turned to see that Haru mirrored his look.

"Congratulations, Sokka," Haru said first, patting his friend's back. "Yeah, good for you," Zuko added, gripping the warrior on the shoulder.

"Here's the engagement necklace" Sokka pulled out a teal colored band with an emerald stone in the middle. From a distance it was stunning, but looking closely it was easy to see it was Sokka who had done the carvings. Zuko and Haru stared at the necklace for a while, their faces contorted in confusion trying to decipher the drawings. A T-shaped figure and a half-circle with lines inside were surrounded by zigzag lines. "It's a fan and a sword, representing Suki and I, surrounded by waves of water." Both the earthbender and the firebender oh-ed in realization.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Sokka asked with a hint of insecurity in his voice.

"Um... of course she will," said Zuko, "especially because you made with your own two hands," he added more sincerely. Haru smiled and nodded in agreement.

Relief washed over Sokka's face. "She will, won't she."

"Are we the only ones who know," asked Haru.

"No, Katara found out when she found the necklace under my bed and told Aang and Toph. I had to force her to keep her mouth shut for long enough so I could be the one to tell you guys."

Zuko smiled, he could just imagine Katara blabbing to the whole tribe that her brother was getting married before he even proposed. Sokka continued complaining about how his sister had a big mouth and shouldn't have been snooping through his stuff anyway before his father called him over.

Haru and Zuko watched the soon-to-be engaged man walk away. "Wow, Sokka's getting married," Haru said, still looking at the man in question.

Zuko snorted, "Poor Suki." They laughed as they watched Sokka chase down a servant carrying a platter of beef kabobs.

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A/N: I own nothing and make no profit.


	2. The Celebration

So here's another chapter! school starting back up so chapters won't be as frequent.

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**The Celebration**

The Peace Celebration was magnificent to say the least. Rows of the exquisite crystal chandeliers hung overhead, sparkling and gleaming, casting the room in a radiant glow. Dozens of tables covered in silks the colors of the different nations were scattered about the grand ballroom. Buffets of mouthwatering delicacies were on either side of the room and servants shuffled about carrying drinks on silver platters. The sound of music from all over the world and the chatter of people from all the nations filled the air.

Amongst the hundreds of people sat a beautiful blue eyed girl. She wore an ocean blue dress that elegantly clung to her curves and matched her luminous eyes that were accentuated by the kohl around them. The dress had a silver sash below the bust and flowed freely down. The sleeves were long and the neck was wide, showing the tanned skin stretched over her graceful collarbones. Her thick, chocolate brown hair cascaded down one shoulder, held in place by a silver flower clip and around her neck hung a worn, but beautiful necklace made of leather with a blue pendant in the middle. She was breath taking, but her most beautiful feature was her smile. She radiated joy as she talked and laughed with the people she loved the most yet saw the least.

"This food is amazing," Sokka said in between shoveling more food in his mouth. "I don't know what this is, but it's amazing!"

Katara rolled her eyes at her brother's less-than-perfect table manners. "Sokka, we're at a party with some of the most important people in the world. At least bother to chew with your mouth closed!" Sometimes she didn't know how they could be related.

"Well, excuse me Ms. Manners. If you don't like how I eat, then don't watch me! Am I right guys?"

Haru suddenly became very interested in the center piece, Toph blew her bangs and had a 'this-should-be-interesting' smirk on her lips and Aang managed to mutter an "Uh..." before being silenced by a raised eyebrow from Katara. Luckily the awkward moment was ended when a pair of pretty hands covered Sokka's eyes.

"Guess who," said a sing-song voice. Sokka jumped out of his seat and whirled around, all but knocking over the ornate chair. "Suki!" he exclaimed before pulling her into his arms. Suki laughed and hugged him back.

"You look amazing" Sokka said in awe. And she did, her creamy skin glowed against the emerald green of her dress and her face was framed perfectly by the wisps of hair that fell from her elegant bun. Sokka pulled her into a kiss, causing the rest of the group to make gagging faces. The couple finally pulled away when Toph yelled at them to get a room. Suki blushed before she greeted the rest of her friends and sat next to Sokka. Their hands intertwined under the table.

Sokka's table manners were forgotten as Suki told the group stories of Kyoshi Island and how they were getting so many knew girls wanting to join. Katara stared at the couple as Suki spoke; she saw the loving glances they threw each other and the playful nudges. She saw the love in his brother's eyes and knew him and Suki were meant to be together.

* * *

Zuko sighed in relief as he walked away from the nobleman and his wife. It was at least two hours into the party and he had just finished greeting all the guests. Mingling was definitely one of the most despised tasks that came with being Fire Lord and he really wasn't very good at it either. Honestly he could not care less if Noblemen Fu's daughter got a new sparrowkeet, but Uncle had told him that a good Fire Lord must listen to whatever his people have to say whether it pertains to him or not. He knew his uncle was right but sometimes he wished his people didn't have so damn much to say.

Zuko rubbed his temples as he made his way over to the table with all his friends. A smile settled on his face as he looked at how nice they all looked in their formal attire. Suki looked beautiful in her green dress and when he looked over at Katara he was speechless. She always looked beautiful, but tonight she was dazzling. He was pulled out of his thoughts when she began to speak.

"Well it looks like the Fire Lord finally decided to grace us with his presence." A playful smirk was on her lips.

"Ha ha, very funny. I'd like to see you try and greet hundreds of guests and listen to how their poodle monkey learned a new trick."

Katara laughed. "Point taken."

"Sounds rough, we saved you a seat though" said Haru, gesturing to the seat in between him and Aang. "We promise not to talk about our poodle monkeys," he added causing the rest of the group to snicker. Zuko glared at the smirking Haru.

"By the way Sparky, you look great. That's a nice outfit."

"Thanks Toph, I …" Zuko was cut off by the rest of the group's sudden laughter. His look of confusion quickly turned to one of embarrassment when he realized why they were all laughing. "Toph! You said you wouldn't do that to me anymore!"

"I'm sorry, Sparky," she said in between her fits of laughter "but it's just too funny."

As the laughter finally started to die down, Suki began to say something. "Don't worry Zuko, you weren't the only one to fall for that. Toph got Sokka too."

"Well she's very convincing!" Sokka bursted out. "But I'm not gonna fall for it again!"

"Isn't that what you said last time?" Aang piped up. "And the time before that too," added Katara. Haru joined in too, "And remember that time you…"

"Okay I get it!" Sokka exclaimed. "I say I won't fall for it, but I do anyway. But this time's different!"

"You always say that Snoozles, but I'm still gonna get you everytime," Toph said with her arms crossed behind her head and a smirk on her face. The rest of the group laughed and continued to joke around. After hours of mingling with people he barely knew, Zuko could finally be with his friends and do what he loved: make fun of Sokka

* * *

Katara tiredly walked over to one of the cushioned chairs and plopped down in a not so graceful manner.

"What, is the waterbender all tired out," she heard a familiar raspy voice behind her, "I thought you rise with the moon." Zuko pulled up a chair next to her.

"Hey! I was dancing with Aang and you know he never gets tired."

Zuko laughed. "That's true." They saw Aang twirling a girl about six-years old around the dancefloor.

"And what about you, _Fire Lord_, have you danced with anyone?"

Zuko grimaced. "Not by choice. Noblemen have been coming up to me all night, saying how their daughters are 'so light on their feet' and saying that if I asked them to dance I would 'be in for a treat'"

Katara laughed, which only made Zuko's scowl deepen. "Oh how terrible. Dancing with girls, that must be torture," she teased and lightly shoved Zuko on the shoulder.

"Hey, some of them are really bad. That's why I came over here, to hide out for a while."

"Glad to know that's the only reason you came over here," she said, sarcasm evident in her tone.

"Of course I came to keep my favorite waterbender company too." He was smiling at her; he was actually smiling a lot today now that she noticed. She liked his smile.

"Good," she responded, turning her attention back to the dance floor. They sat in comfortable silence for a while watching the guests dance. After a while she decided to break the silence.

"Did Sokka tell you he's going to propose to Suki?"

"Yeah, he told Haru and me this afternoon", he turned to her and smirked, "he also mentioned how you couldn't keep you big mouth shut and went and told Toph and Aang."

She glared at him. "Well I didn't know it was such a big secret. I mean come on, it was gonna happen eventually, just look at them." They both turned to look at the couple in question. Sokka was doing the komodo chicken and Suki was cheering him on, before she started to join him.

They both started laughing. "If there were ever two people that were meant to be together, it's them," Zuko managed to say after the laughter had died down.

"Yeah," she agreed. "They're perfect for each other."

They continued to watch the couple do the silly dance, while Katara was silently building up the courage to ask what she had wanted to all along.

"Zuko, are you okay?" she asked turning her blue eyes to look directly at his golden ones.

He gave her a confused look at the sudden question. "Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean with Mai… and the break up." He had told her in his letters that he and Mai had broken up, but he didn't explain much as to why or how he felt about it. She saw him look down at his hands and immediately regretted bringing up the topic. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"No, its okay, Katara." He was now looking directly at her and for some reason she felt a shiver run down her spine at his golden gaze, but quickly brushed it off when he began speaking again. "We both realized we weren't right for each other. We love each other, but we weren't in love so we decided to cut our losses and move on." He was silent for some time, but she knew he had more to say so she stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue. "It was hard at first and sometimes I still miss her, but I know we made the right decision. She thought it would be best if she left for a little while to make it easier. Her and Ty Lee are vacationing on Ember Island now. I think when she comes back we can really start to be friends again." He was looking at her now, waiting for her to give an opinion.

She placed her hand lightly on his arm, "I think it's great you both realized your true feelings for each other. Breaking up is hard, but you'll get through it"

He hesitated before asking his next question. "How did you and Aang get through it?"

Surprisingly, Katara was not startled by such a personal question at all, she was as open as the ocean. "It was a little awkward at first, but we both knew our love wasn't that romance-novel love, but more of a best-friend kind of love. Eventually we got over the awkwardness and became great friends again."

Zuko nodded and continued to stare at his clasped hands.

"Zuko," she began softly, "don't worry, you and Mai will be friends and you will find someone else." She stated this with so much eviction, but still he was doubtful.

"You really think so?"

"I know so." Her eyes were sparkling with sincerity as she smiled at him.

"Thank you, Katara. For listening and stuff," he said with warmth in his own eyes.

"Anytime, Zuko." She meant it. "Now enough with the talking, this is a party. Let's dance."

Before Zuko could protest she had yanked him up and dragged him to the crowd of people now doing the komodo chicken.

* * *

A/N: so there was a little more Zutaraness in this chapter, but fear not there is more to come.


	3. Festivals and Fireworks

So here's another chapter. Not bad right, you only had to wait a week. Enjoy!

* * *

**Festivals and Fireworks**

The week had passed in a blur. During the days it was meetings, negotiations, and bickering representatives and noblemen. It was the same for the rest of her friends, though they were all so young, they had played an important part in ending the war and had received the honor and responsibilities that came with that roll. It was especially hard for Zuko and Aang; while the rest of them only had to attend their own nation's meetings, the boys had to attend all of them. Aang was managing the boredom, but Katara could tell Zuko was tense. It wasn't easy for him; the other nations were still suspicious of the Fire Nation and still wary of Zuko's intentions. Despite all the mistrust and subtle accusations, Zuko kept his cool and held his ground. Katara was impressed. He really was meant to rule this nation.

Sitting through trade meetings all day and listening to old men quarrel all day was beyond boring, but when all the nobles went back to their estates and the representatives retired for the night, they were free.

They were all currently relaxing in one of the lavishly decorated outer rooms of the Fire Lord's chambers. The plush red carpet was soft against her feet and the black and gold accented furniture was the epitome of comfort. That added to the roaring fireplace made the room the perfect hang out spot.

They were all sitting around talking about the day's meetings and making fun of some of the much much older representatives.

"I swear I think that one really old nobleman with the curly gray beard and bald head literally died for a second. No joke I look over and see his head like this." Sokka then demonstrated by lolling his head to the side and slightly sticking his tongue out. The rest of the group burst out laughing.

In between laughing, Zuko had managed to form a response. "I think you're talking about Nobleman Yong Zao. He's ancient; I don't think anyone would really be all that surprised if he did just keel over in a meeting."

"Oh yeah, I saw him walking in the hall yesterday talking to some…" Toph continued her story, but Katara was only half listening. She looked around at her friends. Toph was lounging in the armchair with her feet dangling off one of the armrests, Haru sat on the ground and leaned back against the same armchair. Sokka and Suki were nestled in one of the loveseats and she and Zuko shared the large couch. The fire cast a dim light and radiating warmth into the room that mingled with their laughter in perfect harmony. This was what they had all fought for, peace among the nations; they fought for moments like these where all the nations were brought together in laughter and friendship. She smiled as she looked at all these people she had fought side-by-side with.

_It was worth it._

About an hour later Toph was the first to yawn. "All right guys I'm tired. I'm going to bed," she said as she stood and cracked her back.

Katara shifted in her seat and stifled a yawn as she spoke. "Yeah, Toph's right, it's getting pretty late and the festival is tomorrow. We should all go to bed."

The others murmured in agreement and got up. Zuko saw them out and she was the last to exit.

"Goodnight, _Fire Lord,_" Katara teased as she walked out the door.

Zuko smirked. "Sweet dreams,_ peasant."_

_

* * *

_

Zuko woke up knowing the day was going to be bittersweet. On the one hand it was the day of the first annual Festival of Harmony; all the nations would have celebrations throughout the day to commemorate a successful Peace Summit and hopefully many more to come. The festival would be the grandest in the Fire Nation this year since it was the host. However, today was also the last day he had with his friends. Tomorrow they would all have to return to their nations and their duties and he would have to go back to council meetings and paperwork.

Zuko sighed at the thought, but forced it out of his mind. He still had today. He went to the balcony and looked out into the city. It was still fairly quiet since it was still quite early, but in a couple of hours the streets would be bustling with commotion. Zuko stood for a long time, watching the sun peak over the ocean, casting a shimmering light on the blue waters.

Eventually, he peeled himself away from the sight to get ready for the day ahead.

Breakfast was filled with excited chatter and planning. Even the servants were talking amongst themselves as they shuffled through the corridors, hurriedly finishing their chores so they too could enjoy the festival. About an hour after breakfast the palace was empty.

Zuko had insisted on not taking the palanquin, deeming it too formal and unnecessary, but it was still awkward as he walked through the streets with his friends, loosely surrounded by at least a dozen guards. His cheeks turned a slight pink color every time he saw someone bow, which to Zuko's chagrin was quite often. He knew this would happen, so he had come prepared. By noon he told his guards to go enjoy the festival, which they reluctantly agreed to do. Then he slipped into one of the empty buildings and changed from his formal robes to a simpler red tunic and pants. He wore a black cloak to hide his identity. Now he could really enjoy the festival.

It was refreshing to stop being Fire Lord Zuko for a couple of hours and just be Zuko. The group had gotten sketchy, but delicious street food for lunch and had looked around the various merchant stalls, until they stumbled across some of the street fair games and split up. Zuko sat on a bench near the games and watched the festival unfold. Children were laughing and running around. Street performers were juggling flaming torches and doing gravity-defying acrobatic acts. The streets were filled with sounds of merriment. People were happy. His people were finally happy. It was times like these where he felt like all the boring meetings with stuffy nobles and many late nights locked in his study were all worth it. _Things are finally how they should be._

Haru came and sat next to him. "Did you see Sokka?"

Zuko turned and watched with mild amusement as the frustrated warrior desperately tried to get a ring around the milk bottle, while his girlfriend's milk bottle was already stacked with rings.

"Battle plans and military strategies are no problem, but the guy can't get a ring around a bottle," Haru joked. Both boys laughed as they watched Sokka miss yet again. They sat there for a while in companionable silence, watching the commotion around them.

Zuko looked at Haru; the earthbender had come to be one of Zuko's closest friends. He didn't really get to know Haru during the war since Azula's attack forced the group to split up, but once he did get to know the fairly quiet young man, he really started to like him, which he didn't do with a lot of people. Haru was mature, unlike Aang, and not stupid, unlike Sokka, already two positive qualities. He also didn't feel the need to always have a conversation, which Zuko appreciated, and seemed to always be calm and levelheaded, which was strange since he was an earthbender. Haru did things with modesty and possessed a quiet courage that awed Zuko. He was one of the few people he truly respected.

"Today's the big day, he's gonna propose," said Haru. They turned to look at the boy in question, who was now yelling at the man operating the booth, claiming that the game was rigged.

"Yeah, the idiot actually found someone who'll put up with him," Zuko joked.

Haru grinned. "Isn't that what we're all looking for?"

Just then Sokka and Suki came to their bench. Suki was carrying a large, stuffed platypus bear while Sokka was empty-handed and fuming beside her.

"Win anything?" Zuko asked with a smirk. He recieved an icy glare from Sokka as a response.

"It's okay, sweetie. I love you even if you do stink at ring toss," Suki comforted and gave Sokka a kiss on the cheek, which instantly raised his spirits.

"You're the best. You know that?" Sokka said.

Suki smiled. "I know"

Aang, Katara, and Toph returned then, saving Zuko and Haru from watching Suki and Sokka make goo-goo eyes at each other. Katara and Aang were each carrying a few smaller stuffed animals, while Toph's arms were overflowing with them.

"I love carnival games," Toph declared before dumping the toys onto Zuko's lap.

"What am I supposed to do with these?" Zuko asked, staring at the mountain of fluff on his lap.

"Carry them," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What? I'm not carrying all this!" he exclaimed.

"It's payback for burning my feet."

"It was an accident! And it was six months ago, plus you already made me carry you around everywhere for weeks afterward."

"Tough, Sparky."

Zuko groaned, but obliged. The Fire Lord walked the streets with his arms brimming with stuffed platypus bears and hog monkeys for the rest of the day. Thank Agni he was wearing a cloak.

* * *

Zuko told had told them that the festival would really kick off at night. He wasn't kidding. The streets that were crowded a few hours ago were now overflowing with people. An orchestra of sounds was coming from every direction and different smells of savory foods wafted through the air. The air was cool and there was a slight breeze since it was winter. Katara liked the weather here, she loved her home in the South Pole, but sometimes the cold was just too much. Sometimes she wished she could just enjoy warm summers and breezy winters.

She had lost the rest of the group about half an hour ago. At first she tried to find them, but had quickly given up, now she was just looking for a way out of the mass of people.

Once she finally broke away from the crowd, she ended up in the main courtyard, near a large fountain. She relaxed and sat at the edge of the fountain, just being near her element made her feel better.

She looked into the crowd, thinking about the past week. It had been so much fun being with all her friends again without the war hanging over their heads. Honestly she didn't want to leave the Fire Nation and go back to the biting cold of the South Pole, but she had to. It was her duty.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a raspy voice.

"There you are," he said, "how do you always manage to get lost?" Even with the cloak on, Katara could see Zuko's signature smirk as he sat down next to her.

She faked offense and shoved him lightly. "I do not always get lost! Name one time."

"Okay, how about that time you got lost in the forest when you insisted on looking for firewood by yourself. Or that time in the palace when you somehow ended up in the basement while trying to find your room. Or that time…"

"I said name one time! Okay I get it I get lost a lot." Katara glared at him.

Zuko laughed. "It's okay, I'll always find you."

Katara's glare melted when she saw the subtle sincerity in his golden eyes.

"So where's everyone else?"

"We split up to look for you, but I'm pretty sure everyone else got sidetracked or just gave up."

"Well, don't I just feel so special," Katara remarked.

She suddenly grabbed Zuko's hand when the sound of an explosion filled her ears and reflexive fear rang through her, but then she saw bursts of red, blue, green and orange erupt in the sky. Her fear turned into amazement as she watched the colors of all the nations fill the night sky. She was so awe-struck; she didn't even notice she was still holding Zuko's hand.

Zuko watched the fireworks with admiration, but not with quite the same attention as Katara. His mind was more focused on the small hand grasping his own. He looked at her and smiled; her blue eyes were sparkling with wonder and her smile was wider than he had ever seen. She looked genuinely happy.

Katara pulled her hand away to clap with the rest of the crowd when the fireworks had ended. Zuko didn't know why, but he couldn't help but feel a little… disappointed when her hand left his, but he quickly dismissed the thought. _Its chilly outside, it was just nice to have the extra warmth, thats all._

Katara turned to him, her eyes still gleaming. "That was amazing."

"Yeah, they're usually lit up during major events here."

"I'm really gonna miss this place," she sighed. "I'm going to miss everybody. I'm going to miss you" she said, giving her friend a sad smile.

"Me too, Katara," he said "but I think the Gaang's going to be back together again pretty soon." Zuko motioned up the street toward Sokka.

The beaming watertribesman was holding hands with a blushing Suki. He ran up to random person after person, hugging each one and exclaiming the joyous news.

"She said yes!"

* * *

Readers are appreciated, reviewers are worshiped :)


	4. A Day Off

Happy MLK Day! Here's another chapter to celebrate :D**

* * *

**

**A Day Off**

Katara pulled her hood up as another cool breeze swept through the air. Though winter was coming to an end, it was still bitingly cold in the South Pole. She was currently taking a leisurely walk through the village, enjoying a very rare day off.

She looked around this place she called home, admiring all that had been done since the end of the war. What were once small huts made of snow and sticks were now grand buildings sculpted from ice by master waterbenders. Some of the more important buildings like the Meeting Hall even had columns and intricate patterns carved into it. Canals and bridges weaved through the village, much like they did in their sister tribe. She was so proud of her tribe and everything they had accomplished.

The people were also happier, no longer having to live in fear. Vendors were selling stewed sea prunes and seal jerky on the streets, merchants were shouting their prices and bargaining with customers, children were laughing and running about. Katara took in the sights and sounds that her and her friends had fought so hard to bring back.

Her moment of tranquility was cut short when she spotted her brother and his fiancée making out on an ice bench in the main plaza.

_Eww. Seriously, I'm happy their so in love, but do they have to play tonsil hockey in public. There are children around!_

* * *

Zuko looked down in abhorrence to the stack of papers on his desk. He had been in his study for hours and he still wasn't even half way done. He decided he needed a break from business and picked up one of his unopened personal letters.

He smiled. It was from Katara. He kept in touch with all of his friends, but mostly with Katara. He had probably gotten a letter from her almost every other week since the Peace Summit.

_Zuko,_

_First off yes, we did arrive safely back to the South Pole. The trip was smooth sailing and Suki and Aang are here too. Secondly, it is so cold here! I forgot how cold snow really was when you fall into it and it seeps into your long underwear. I miss your sissy Fire Nation winters!_

_-Katara_

_Zuko,_

_You're winter's are definitely considered sissy. It doesn't even snow! Anyway, how is it having the palace all to yourself again? Do you cry yourself to sleep because you miss us so much?_

_-Katara_

_Zuko,_

_I forgot how much work you have. Its pretty busy here too, but mostly just with reconstruction, not the boring meetings/paperwork you have to do. Try to hide it all you want, but I know just can't control your grief of not having my lovely self around. Oh and stop signing your letters as 'Fire Lord Zuko' you arrogant son of a hog monkey._

_-Sincerely,_

_Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe_

_Zuko,_

_I do not always make fun of you. I provide constructive criticism and occasionally tease you._

_I wish you could see how amazingly the village is coming together. I don't think I can even call it a village anymore. Move over Northern Water Tribe, because your sister is bringing the heat._

_-Katara_

_Zuko,_

_Okay Suki and Sokka can not keep their hands off each other. It was cute at first, but now it's kind of annoying. It like could you please stop rubbing it in my face? Ugh, I don't mean that, I eally am happy for them. Anyway, sorry for unloading on you, but I needed to tell someone._

_-Katara_

_Zuko, _

_Ugh, these wedding plans are driving me crazy! Don't get me wrong I'm so excited to plan it, but they haven't even decided where they want to have it yet. They did decide when though. They want it to be around the end of summer/beginning of fall, you know in between spring and winter, earth and water. It's sappy, but cute._

_-Katara_

Zuko opened the most recent letter from her.

_Zuko,_

_Guess what? I'm coming to visit! For important ambassador duties of course. I also decided to give Suki and Sokka an ultimatum. If they don't decide where to have the wedding by the time I get back, I'll freeze them to tree until they agree on a place. You obviously know how much it sucks to get froze to a tree. Fire Nation here I come, see you in two weeks!_

_-Katara _

Zuko felt a smile creep across his face. Katara was coming! Zuko's amber eyes suddenly widened in realization.

_Wait a minute. A letter takes a week to arrive and I haven't had the chance to open my personal letters in about a week. So that means… she's coming today. Katara's coming today!_

There was a knock on his door before one of his servants entered.

"Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe has arrived and wishes to see you immediately. Shall I tell her the Fire Lord is occupied?"

"No, no send her in. Thank you, Jee." Zuko kept his cool façade until Jee left; once the door was closed Zuko started tidying up the massive amounts of papers on his desk. Then he started to fix his hair in the decorative mirror on the wall.

_What am I doing? Why should I care how my hair looks? It's just Katara._

As if on cue, in came Katara, barging past Jee with her arms wide open and a bright smile on her face.

"Zuko!" she exclaimed before wrapping him in a hug. As he relaxed into the embrace, he realized how much he had missed Katara. Just having her here, with her warm embrace and familiar scent of spring rain and water lilies, gave him a comfort he didn't really understand.

Jee noticed how the Fire Lord didn't correct the Waterbending Master when she didn't use his formal title and how easily he had sunk into the girl's embrace. The old servant quietly exited the room with a small smirk on his face.

Katara sat down on one of the ornate chairs on the other side of the large mahogany desk. "So how's my favorite Fire Lord been?"

"Busy", Zuko replied with a sigh.

"Looks like it. Look at all the stuff on your desk!" She sifted through the dozens of contracts and formal letters.

"I know, it feels like I've been chained to this desk for days."

Katara looked up at her friend and noticed the subtle signs of exhaustion on his face. Bags were starting to form under his eyes and he looked paler than usual. She guessed he probably hadn't been outside for a few days.

"Zuko, I'm worried about you. You've been working so hard nonstop. You need a break."

"But there's still so much to be done," he gestured to the work on his desk " I can't just leave it."

"Yes you can. Tell you what, you can work the rest of the day today, but tomorrow you're taking a break. I have to meet with a few Fire Nation merchants tomorrow morning to discuss trade routes, but the rest of the day we're hanging out, just me and you."

Zuko loved the idea of spending a whole day with Katara, but he just had too much to do. "Katara, I don't know…"

He was cut off by the stubborn waterbender. "I don't want to hear it," she said, raising a palm to stop him from saying anything, "You are taking a day off and we are hanging out. End of discussion."

Before Zuko could protest, there was another knock on the door and a servant girl entered.

"Master Katara, you're room is ready. Would you like me to show you to it?"

"That would be great," Katara said to the girl. "See you tomorrow, Zuko" she said over her shoulder as she exited the room.

_I guess I'm taking a day off._

_

* * *

_Katara followed the servant girl through the grand hallway, admiring the elaborate architecture as she went. Finally, they stopped in front of a wooden door with intricate carvings of fire lilies and roses on the frame.

"Here is your room Master Katara." said the bowing servant.

Katara was still a little uncomfortable with people bowing to her. It was weird. "Thank you, uh… I'm sorry what is your name?"

The girls narrow brown eyes widened in shock, before she quickly composed herself.

_I guess she doesn't get asked that a lot._

"My name is Kai Lyn."

"Well, thank you for showing me to my room, Kai Lyn."

Kai Lyn stuttered in surprise, unable to believe one of the Fire lOrd's closest friends was actually thanking her. "Y-you are most welcome, Master Katara."

"Call me Katara." Katara hated formalities; people knew she was a master waterbender, no need to announce it all the time.

"O-okay, K-katara."

Katara smiled at her and entered the room, leaving Kai Lyn a little dazed and a lot shocked.

* * *

Today Zuko had taken a day off (with the insistent persuasion of a certain waterbender) and it had been one of the best days he'd had in a long time. They had walked around town looking at different merchant stalls, gone to the newly rebuilt art gallery, ate lunch at a nice restaurant, watched the street performers, and so many other things. It was nice to finally get out from behind his desk and enjoy his nation. At first, it was really awkward with the hushed whispers and the bowing everywhere he went, since he forgot to bring his cloak. But eventually as the hours passed, his people got more and more used to his presence and stopped with the formalities, well a little.

Having Katara there helped with the uneasiness too. After his people saw her joke around with him they started to see that he was just a person too. Katara told him that he just needed to go into town more to let the people get used to seeing him around and thinking of them as one of their own. Zuko had made a mental note to take her advice. He didn't want the people to think of him as just the mighty and powerful Fire Lord; after all he was once just barely scraping by too.

Now they were relaxing under the shade of a cherry blossom tree, eating pomegranate seeds and watching the baby turtle ducks swim by.

"You know I used to come out her a lot with my mom," Katara turned her head to look at Zuko as he continued, "we used to feed the turtle ducks. She would come out here everyday and watch the sunset, I'd join her occasionally." Zuko stared into the sky with a distant look on his face. "Now I wish I'd joined her more." He felt something warm on his hand. It was Katara's hand.

He turned to look at her. "I really miss her" he said, trying his best to keep his voice steady.

"I know," she squeezed his hand, "I miss my mother too, but I know she would be proud of me. And I know, if your mom could see you now, she would be so proud of you and everything you're doing."

He couldn't help but believe her when he saw the sincerity shining in those deep blue eyes he had come to know so well. He squeezed her hand back.

"Thank you, Katara" he said, "for making me take a day off and for just being here."

She gave him a soft smile. "You're welcome, Zuko."

They returned their gazes to the ever-changing sky. The horizon was bathed in brilliant shades of orange and pink that faded into deep blues as the sun met the ocean.


	5. Their Story, Our Story

**Their Story, Our Story**

Zuko leaned against the railing of the mighty ship while gazing into the vast ocean.

He was currently on his way to a small island just off of Kyoshi where Sokka and Suki (after almost being frozen to a tree) finally decided to have their wedding. It was going to be a small affair, with close friends and family only.

As Zuko stared into the water, he found that he strangely missed being on a ship. All things considered he really should hate ships since he wasted three years of his life on one, but something about being surrounded so infinitely by the sea pulled him in. Being encircled by the mystic beauty of the ocean both awed and terrified him. It was strange how the sea could terrify someone to the core yet still be able to soothe them into oblivion. It fascinated him.

"My Lord, we will reach the island by midmorning tomorrow," said a male voice, breaking Zuko out of his contemplations

"Huh… Oh, excellent. Thank you, General Tso."

"You are most welcome, my liege." Tso said as smoothly as possible. He was still trying to get used to receiving thanks from the new Fire Lord. After working under Ozai, he was lucky to be alive and still retain some self-confidence.

Zuko turned his attention back to horizon. As the sun was slowly setting into the ocean, he couldn't help but think about that sunset he had shared with Katara a few weeks ago. He still couldn't believe how easily he had opened up to her. He had always had trouble conveying his emotions to others; he even put up a front with Uncle. The only other person he had opened up to was his mother, and when she disappeared the wall he had built around his emotions had become almost impenetrable.

But somehow Katara had broken through that wall without even trying. Zuko really didn't understand how it was so easy to talk to her. Or why her presence was so comforting.

He really could not comprehend why everything was just so much…better when she was around.

* * *

"WHAT! What do you mean the flowers won't arrive until tomorrow morning? The wedding is tomorrow afternoon!" Katara was currently screaming at the poor, unknowing messenger boy.

"Uh..I.." he stuttered

"Do you have any idea what will happen if there aren't flowers at the wedding? Well, do you?"

He didn't know what to say. He was just told to deliver the message; he had no idea that he was going to have to face a crazy waterbender too.

"Um…"

She cut him off. "If there are no flowers the wedding won't be beautiful and the bride won't have a bouquet to throw. Ugly weddings don't make happy marriages! Are you trying to ruin their marriage!"

The young man was all but terrified now and was grateful when a young girl dressed in green came to his aid.

"Calm down, Sugar Queen, you're scaring the poor kid."

Katara whirled around to face Toph. "Calm down! How do you expect me to calm down when there aren't going to be flowers at the wedding I've been planning for months!" she screeched.

Aang came over after seeing his friend verbally harassing one of the messengers.

"Katara," he said, gripping her shoulders to make her face him, "everything will be fine. There will be flowers at the wedding. Everything will be fine. Just take a deep breath."

Katara was about to protest, "But what if…"

"No," Aang stopped her, "deep breath, in out, in and out."

Katara listened to Aang and admittedly did feel a little better. "Sorry guys, I just want this wedding to be perfect. I guess I should apologize to that guy."

Katara turned around to find the spot where the messenger had been standing was now empty.

"Where'd he go?" she asked.

Toph snorted, "I think you scared him off."

Katara groaned, "Great, just great, now I have to go find him and apologize."

Aang and Toph watched as Katara stormed away in search of the poor young man she had scared.

"Was she really always this crazy?" asked Toph.

Aang shrugged and gave a small grin, "Some days are better than others."

* * *

Zuko stood uncomfortably, only have listening to the blessings of the priests and elders. He was too bust trying not to scratch himself in his Water Tribe attire. He was honored that Sokka had chose him to be one of the groomsmen, but the blue, fur lined clothing was too heavy for the warm weather and it made his skin itch.

Other than his apparel, the wedding was amazing. Katara had outdone herself yet again.

It was a warm, breezy day, perfect for the outdoor wedding. Friends and family were seated on the white, wooden chairs in a small clearing in the forest. They were close enough to the beach that they could hear the waves rolling off the sand, but far enough to not feel the salty air.

Suki and Sokka stood under a white wooden structure elegantly decorated with intertwining flowers of peonies and roses. The bridesmaids all wore silk dresses of a deep forest green, while the groomsmen wore the traditional Water Tribe attire.

He couldn't help but notice how great Katara looked in the green dress. The color played off her mocha skin wonderfully.

_She looks amazing in anything_

Zuko realized he was staring and quickly looked away.

_What the hell is wrong with me? It must be the heat getting to me because of these damn clothes._

"You may now kiss the bride."

Sokka pulled Suki into a passionate kiss that lasted longer thn was entirely appropriate, but hey it as their wedding. When they finally pulled away the newly married couple was beaming. Zuko looked at the joy in his two friends faces and was really happy for them; he hoped one day he could find someone that made him smile like that.

* * *

Katara sat on one of the simple white chairs, watching the guests twirl by on the small dance floor. The reception was taking place under a tent near the beach; it was a small gathering, but still very elegant in a more natural way. She thought it was perfect. In fact the whole wedding had gone on without a hitch leaving Katara incredibly happy, but exhausted. She was currently relaxing and enjoying the cool sea breeze when he sat beside her.

"Okay when you didn't dance at the Peace Celebration I could understand, but at your own brothers wedding? Either you have two left feet or you're just lazy," Zuko said coming up behind her.

"Lazy? I was the one that planned this entire wedding!" she exclaimed.

Zuko laughed at her outburst, "Relax, Katara I was just kidding. This wedding really is beautiful. Remind me to have you plan my wedding." Zuko's eyes widened in realization of what he just said.

Katara noticed how he fidgeted slightly and suddenly became very interested in the drink in his hand. He looked really uncomfortable so Katara decided to end his friend's misery and change the subject. "You don't look very comfortable in that outfit."

"Is it that obvious? It's too hot to be wearing this, plus it's itchy," he scratched his leg as if to prove his point.

"Yeah, Sokka didn't really think it through when he decided what the groomsmen would wear. I don't think he took into account that it wouldn't be snowing in the Earth Kingdom."

"I swear for a strategic mastermind, you're brother's an idiot."

Katara laughed, "I know, I grew up with him remember."

The pair laughed and joked about Sokka's idiocy for a while. Katara told him a few potentially embarrassing stories about Sokka in his younger years that Sokka would most certainly not appreciate her repeating.

"… and the fourth time he wet his bed," Katara was saying in between laughing, "Mom took him to one of the healers and asked if there was something wrong with his bladder. I think I made sure everyone in the village knew about his little 'accidents'."

Zuko managed to form a response in between laughing, "You're terrible."

Katara shoved him in the arm. "Hey, he had it coming. That's what he gets for using my stuffed otter-penguin as a target to practice with his boomerang," she said crossing her arms, her nose in the air.

_She looked cute like that._

Zuko quickly shook his head as if that would erase the thought. "Look at where he is now."

Katara looked over at her brother with an affectionate smile, "Yeah, I'm really proud of him." They continued to watch the newlyweds' dance, until Katara spoke up again.

"So this is the next chapter in their story," she said, her gaze still on Sokka and Suki.

"What?" he said, confusion apparent on his features

"You know, their story," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Everyone has a story and when two people meet so do their stories. If they never see each other again, then their story ends there, but if they keep meeting and stay in each others lives, then their stories intertwine."

Zuko chewed over this new perspective for a while. "So when did our story start?"

Katara smirked. "When you attacked my village."

Zuko smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah sorry about that… again. I guess our story didn't have a very good beginning then?"

"No, but the middle has gotten better."

Zuko gave her an amused smile, "So where do you think our story will end?"

Katara looked back at the crowd, but her eyes were unfocused, like she was daydreaming. "I don't know, but that's the fun part. We make it up as we go along."

* * *

The night was well under way and the reception was still going with no sign of ending anytime soon. Although, curiously the actual newlyweds were no where to be seen. Most of the guests were also not as sober as they had been a few hours ago.

"Scotch, on the rocks." Zuko usually didn't drink, but hell this was his best friend's wedding and who could say no to an open bar?

"I'll have a two Sangria Blazes," said the bored female voice he remembered so well.

_Oh no. Oh shit._

Zuko knew this moment was coming eventually, and he wanted it to happen, but that didn't mean he couldn't try to avoid it for as long as possible. He had been doing so well until now too.

"Hey, Mai," he said, turning to face his ex-girlfriend.

Mai was a bit startled, as if she had just notice him. "Oh… hey, Zuko. How've you been?" she said a little awkwardly

"Good, busy with… stuff." He silently winced at his own floundering response. _'Busy with stuff'. Really Zuko? That's the best you could come up with?_

Mai nodded. "You're doing a good job though."

He smiled; he barely got compliments from her when they were dating. Maybe breaking up was what they needed. "Thanks"

A few seconds of awkward silence passed before Zuko felt like he needed to fill it before it got even worse. The bartender was taking an awfully long time with their drinks. "So how have you been?"

"Good," she replied. The silence returned, but this time Mai was the one to fill it. "I've been spending a lot of time with Ty Lee on Kyoshi Island. I kind of like it. I might even join their little fan-waving group," she said sarcastically.

"That's great, Mai. I'm really happy for you."

Mai did another very un-Mai-like thing, she smiled. It wasn't even a smirk, it was an actual _smile_. Zuko was glad the drinks came when they did, so she didn't notice him gaping slightly.

"Well, see you later, Zuko," she said as she walked back over to the table with Ty Lee and the other Kyoshi Warriors.

Zuko was still reeling in surprise. Mai complimented him _and_ smiled all in five minutes. While the conversation had been forced and extremely awkward, it was eye opening. Eventually, they really could be friends. Zuko's hopefulness was quickly trumped by a new realization.

_Mai's changing. She's moving on with her life. Why am I not?_


	6. Hidden Talents

Here's an extra long chapter for the extra long wait! enjoy

* * *

**Hidden Talents**

The Second Annual Peace Summit had gone by fairly smoothly, far better than the first one. There was no longer excessive mistrust and barely contained contempt in the eyes of the men from the different nations; the noblemen of the Fire Nation didn't hold their noses as high as they did the previous year; and the quiet accusations made with a well aimed jabs and subtle glares did not make too heavy of an appearance this year.

Over the year a fragile trust had formed between the nations and save for a few rebellions, that trust had grown stronger. Last year the men had tolerated each other in the name of saving the world. This year they had cooperated with each other in the name of creating a better world.

Zuko was certainly happier with the Summit this year. The men from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes had made it a mission last year to remind him that his ancestors were on the verge of destroying the world and that he was the spawn of Ozai. He remembered having to persuade them over and over again that he had changed, having to fight to control his temper every minute of every meeting. After all it wouldn't have looked good if the newly appointed Fire Lord, who claimed to want peace, burned a man to a crisp during a _peace meeting _of all places_._

Still, even two years later, he could detect the hidden undercurrent of mistrust and hatred in some of the representative's words. He still heard a few of his own councilmen whisper about his so-called weakness in negotiating with the 'lesser' nations. It bothered him more than he'd like to admit, but such was life for Zuko. He always had to fight and struggle, but in the end he came out stronger. So he continued to ignore the more obtuse representatives, constantly tried to subtly put his own councilmen in their place, and prayed that it would get better in time.

On a happier note, the burden of reconstruction was not as heavy, meaning his friends could stay for a little longer. Well, most of them, unfortunately Haru had to return to the Earth Kingdom after receiving news of his grandmother's illness.

It was the day after the festival and they were all enjoying a late breakfast in the palace dining room.

"So Sparky," said Toph, throwing a grape in the air and catching it in her mouth, "what's there to do around here for a week?"

"Well there's still some reconstruction going on, but there are a few new parks and the theatre is…"

Toph snorted, "Yeah, 'cause the first Fire Nation play I went to was just so amazing that I'd want to see another one."

Zuko opened his mouth to retort, but then quickly closed it when he remembered what a fail of a play 'The Boy in the Iceberg' was. "Point taken."

"Why don't you young people spend the week on Ember Island?" suggested Uncle.

"That's a great idea," squealed Ty Lee, "I love Ember Island! Remember how fun it was last time, Mai?"

"Yeah," Mai said in her sarcastically bored tone, "So much fun."

"It would be nice to actually go there on vacation instead of as a hide out," added Katara.

"But we didn't bring and swim wear," pointed out Suki.

"Not to worry, I had a few swim suits purchased for you all just in case," said Iroh. The Gaang started chatting excitedly about what they would do on Ember Island. Zuko eyed Iroh suspiciously.

"Just in case, Uncle?" Zuko quipped.

"You never know when situations may arise, Nephew. It's always good to stock up in advance."

Zuko glared at his uncle. He was pretty sure this 'situation' was planned out in advance by a certain old man.

Zuko sighed. "You all go. I can't, I have too much work to catch up on."

He flinched when he felt a small, but sturdy fist connect with his arm. "Come on, Sparky. You always have work!"

"Zuko, you need a break once in a while." He glanced at Katara and remembered his last break. It really had been an amazing day.

"She is right Nephew, you work too hard, you must allow yourself to relax every now and then," chimed in Iroh. "I can handle things here for a week. You go enjoy."

Zuko was still skeptical, but how often did he get to be with all his friends? And Uncle was right, he did work too hard. Maybe a break wouldn't be so bad.

"Fine, I'll go."

The table broke into mini-cheers.

"So when are we leaving?" asked Ty Lee, excitedly.

"The ship leaves in two hours, so pack quickly," advised Iroh.

The Gaang all broke apart and scurried to their rooms to pack their belongings. Zuko watched his Uncle calmly sip his tea as the dining room emptied.

"Just what would you have done if I refused to go?" questioned Zuko.

Iroh put down his tea cup and grinned. "Would you really have said no to your own uncle?"

Zuko rolled his eyes and began to get up.

Iroh glanced at the retreating form of his nephew as the young Fire Lord left the dining room. He thought he heard him mumble something about conniving old men.

* * *

Katara glanced out the window to see that the sun had barely risen over the ocean. She sighed. She had no idea why she was awake so early, all her friends were probably still asleep, exhausted from yesterday's journey and spending a late night on the beach. She should be asleep too, but the bed was so comfortable and she slept like rock. Now she was refreshed and fully awake. Sleep would not come to her anytime soon.

_Maybe Zuko is awake. Doesn't he 'rise with the sun' or something?_

She set off for the master bedroom in search of Zuko. She knocked a few times, but to no avail so she lightly pushed the door open to see if he was still asleep. She gasped slightly at the enormity of the room. It was just as large as his room at the palace, but much less overdone. The bed had a light frame made of rich mahogany wood and the sunset colored walls held stunning oil-paintings of beaches and oceans. Golden rays seeped in through the red, diaphanous curtains that billowed in the early morning breeze coming in from the balcony, giving the room a warm glow. The room was beautiful in its simplicity and she certainly preferred it to his room at the palace.

She heard water running in the adjoining bathroom and assumed Zuko was washing up. She decided she would wait for him in the corridor, but as she was leaving, something caught her eye. There, on the cherry wood night table, was a worn leather book. The brown leather was torn in many places and the binding was coming undone, the pages inside were frayed and browning as if they had suffered many years of hardship. Despite the book's tattered appearance, inside was the most beautiful artwork Katara had ever seen.

She flipped through pages filled with pictures of cherry blossom trees in open fields, grand corridors of the palace, turtle-ducks in the palace gardens, a beautiful woman sitting by a pond, sunsets dipping into the horizon, schools of fish in open waters and so much more. As she continued to look through the book, she began to see familiar places. An Earth Kingdom market she might have come across in her travels, the remnants of an air temple, the Spirit Oasis in the Northern Water Tribe. Soon she began to recognize faces as well; a few sketches of Aang, some of Iroh drinking tea, a picture of Appa, and one of that bounty hunter, Jun, and her shirshu.

Katara gasped when she turned the page. There staring back at her was a 14-year-old version of herself. In it she donned the traditional water tribe attire and braid of her younger years, her necklace safely around her neck just as it was now. The girl in the picture was in a simple waterbending stance, but it was the eyes in the drawing that captured the waterbender's attention. Even in black and white, she could detect the fierce glint in them, the passion of protecting someone she cared for. She remembered that day well and all the emotions that went along with it were encapsulated in this one sheet of parchment. Katara was so absorbed in the illustration that she didn't hear the bathroom door creak open.

"Oh, hey, I didn't know you…" Zuko began, before he saw the book in her hand.

Katara looked up at him with wide eyes. "Did you draw these?"

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as a small blush seeped into his cheeks. "Yeah," he admitted, "There not that great, but…"

"Zuko, these are amazing."

Now his eyes widened at the unexpected compliment and all he could manage to utter was a "What?"

"These are beautiful, Zuko. I had no idea you could draw so well. When did you learn?"

"Um, I had an art teacher at the palace when I was younger. I always liked those classes, but when my mother left, my father deemed them a waste of time and cancelled the classes. I started drawing again after I was banished. There's not a lot to do on a ship, you know," he said with a timid smile.

The firebender eyed her warily as she looked through his drawings. During his time in banishment, drawing was a means of escape for him. A time where the reality he was in could be changed the moment charcoal met parchment. With art, he was free. Even after he had become Fire Lord, art still secretly remained a part of his life. After a day filled with words, he would flee to a world of only images.

He had never shown anyone that book; he knew he was good, he just never thought he was _that_ good. He didn't draw for others, he drew for himself. But still Katara's appraisal meant a lot to him, a lot more than he would ever admit.

"Um, can I… have one?" Katara asked bashfully. She must have misinterpreted the look of confusion on Zuko's face for something else since she immediately backtracked. "I mean, it's okay if I can't, I totally understand if…"

"Katara," his tone was slightly amused as he put his hand on the rambling girl's shoulder to silence her. "Of course you can have one. Which one do you want?"

Katara continued to look through the leather book, studying the pictures carefully, before she finally settled on one. "Can I have this one?"

The drawing was one of a young woman. Her arms were outstretched toward the sky and a small smile graced her features as the rain fell from the heavens all around her, soaking her clothes and drenching her hair. Off to the side was a young man; he also wore smile as he gazed at the woman. In his right hand he clutched an unopened umbrella. Zuko remembered the night the inspiration for this drawing came to him.

_It was a few weeks after the first Peace Summit. At the Festival he had tasted the freedom of not having to carry the heavy burdens of the Fire Lord and he longed for more. That night he pulled out the familiar blue and white mask that he hid in the bottom of one of his chests deep inside his closet. He had not told Uncle that he went back for the mask. Despite Uncle's wisdom, Zuko knew he wouldn't fully understand. The Blue Spirit was a part of Zuko; it helped make him who he was. He couldn't just leave a piece of him in the bottom of a lake. _

_He put on his black clothing and took his faithful broadswords before he silently crept into the night. Zuko didn't really know what he was doing, he just wanted a bit of freedom. He soon learned this was a good way to keep tabs on his people, see what they really did when they thought no one was watching. _

_However, soon after he had reached the lower districts, it had started to drizzle. Then it started to pour. The children of Agni quickly returned to the comfort of their homes away from their opposing element. Zuko was making his way back to the palace when a strange scene caught his eye._

_It was a young couple. The woman was laughing and dancing through the streets, careless of the weather around her. The man laughed and told her to get under the umbrella before she got sick. Then the woman did something very odd. She gave the man a soft smile, gently took the umbrella from his hand, and threw it out onto the streets. _

_All the way back to the palace, Zuko had thought about the woman's bizarre actions. It was silly really; even if they didn't catch a cold they would still have to spend hours by the fire drying their clothing and hair. Still, the image overwhelmed his mind and would not leave him until he finally got it down on paper._

He still found it strange that out of all the pictures, ones of people she knew and places she'd been, that Katara would choose this one of two strangers.

"Why this one?"

Katara stared at the picture for some time, thought creasing her brow. "I don't really know," she grinned, "but when I figure it out I'll tell you."

Zuko rolled his eyes. That was so like Katara, just when he thought he understood her, she said or did something weird that would make him think again.

He took the book from Katara and carefully tore out the drawing. "Here, it's yours," he said as he handed her the frayed sheet of parchment.

She smiled and took it from him. "Thank you, Zuko."

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from somewhere else in the house. "Sokka! What are you doing?" came Suki's voice from the kitchen.

"The drawer wouldn't open!" they heard Sokka reply.

"It's not supposed to, that's the design."

"Well, what kind of a stupid design is that?"

Katara sighed and rolled her eyes at hearing the bickering couple. "Let's go see what Sokka broke this time."

* * *

"Okay here are the rules," announced Sokka, "each team has two people and only one bender. You're not allowed to use bending to build the whole castle." Sokka coughed and mumbled something suspiciously close to Toph's name. "The teams will be me and Aang, Katara and Suki, Toph and Ty Lee, and Zuko and Mai. You have an hour to build your castle. Go!"

The pairs ran over to different parts of the beach to start constructing their sand castles. Zuko had no idea why he agreed to participate in this competition. He glanced over at Mai.

_Well, this is going to be awkward._

"So…" he started, "how should we build this?"

"I don't know," she replied in her bored tone. They sat in the sand, uncomfortable silence surrounding them for what felt like an eternity, but was really only a few minutes.

_Damn it, Sokka. He definitely did this just to watch me squirm._

Zuko sent death glares at the warrior, but Sokka was completely oblivious, too busy working on his castle with Aang

The situation was becoming almost unbearable so Zuko was incredibly grateful when Mai finally said something.

"We could make the Fire Palace."

"That's a good idea," he quickly replied so they wouldn't fall back into awkward silence. "Let's start I guess."

About half an hour later, the sand palace was actually looking pretty good. They had finished the majority of the main building and now were working on some of the details.

"Zuko, what is that?"

"What does it look like? It's a watchtower obviously," he quipped.

Mai let out a sigh. "It looks like a lump of sand."

"Gee, thanks," he replied sarcastically, glaring at the raven-haired girl.

"No problem," she replied, matching his sarcasm, "how about I do the watchtowers and you can work on the garden."

Zuko huffed and mumbled a "Fine" and started to carry out his new task. Silence stretched between the two, but instead of being the awkward kind they had shared in the beginning, it was more of a comfortable kind. They both worked quietly, lost in their own thoughts. He always did like that about Mai, she had never felt the need to disturb the quiet.

After Zuko had finished his sand garden, he looked over at Mai. She was currently carving out little windows in the main sand palace; her thin eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He looked at her for a while; in her burgundy swimsuit he could see that her body had filled out from days of training with the Kyoshi Warriors and natural growth. Her skin was not as pale as it had once been and gone were the buns of her younger years, her ebony hair now flowed down freely. If Mai was considered beautiful before, she was dazzling now. Still, he didn't find himself attracted to her the way he had once been in his teenage years. Where feelings of infatuation had once been, now harbored the fragile beginnings of a friendship.

"What?" Mai asked when she noticed him staring.

"Huh… oh, nothing… I'm done with the garden."

"Hmm, it actually doesn't look bad. Much better than your 'watchtowers'," she said, emphasizing watchtowers with air quotes. He shot her a halfhearted glare and glanced at the newly constructed watchtowers. He hated to admit it, but they were definitely better than his. She didn't need to know that though.

"Ten more minutes!" Sokka shouted.

Zuko and Mai quickly finished the remaining details of the castle. Then for the finishing touch Zuko lit the little sticks around the castles, causing them to glow like mini lanterns.

"Time! Everyone, step away from your castle," ordered Sokka.

They both stepped away and looked critically at the sand palace.

"It actually looks really good," she commented.

"We make a pretty good team, don't we?"

She glanced at him and gave him a small smirk. "Yeah, we do."

The rest of the Gaang strode over to the pair.

"Wow you guys. This is really good," said Ty Lee enthusiastically.

"Well, it's not _bad,_" remarked Sokka.

"Shut up, Sokka. Theirs is great, way better than yours," retorted Katara. She wasn't kidding. Sokka's and Aang's sand castle was modeled after one of the Air Temples. It was easy to see what parts the agile airbender had done and what parts the not-so-artistic warrior had worked on. Parts of it were detailed and precise while other parts of it looked like, in Mai's words, 'lumps of sand.'

Suki and Katara had done a replica of the Ice Palace in the Northern Water Tribe. As an added touch a mini waterfall streamed down from the top tower of the palace to the moat surrounding it. Theirs was very well done, though not very detailed. Zuko smirked inwardly. _We definitely won this. _

At least that's what he thought before he saw Toph's and Ty Lee's.

Their sandcastle was an exact replica of the Earth Palace in Ba Sing Se. Everything from the gilded pagodas to the intricate tapestries was in precise detail. Toph had even made the Gaang standing in the grand entryway with King Kuei and his bear.

"Wow, Toph. This is even better than the one you made last time we were here," said Aang as he circled the structure along with the rest of the Gaang.

"Look, there are mini versions of us!" exclaimed Katara.

"Wait a minute!" yelled Sokka, "the rules were that you couldn't build the whole castle using bending."

"Yeah, we didn't. Pinky over here built the main structure," Toph said, pointing a thumb at Ty Lee. "I just carved out some of the details."

"Some of the details! All of it is details!" rebutted Sokka, pointing to the castle in question.

"Don't be such a sore loser, Snoozles," Toph said nonchalantly.

"It's okay Sokka," said the young Avatar, "I think ours was still pretty good."

"He's right, Sokka," reassured Suki, sidling up next to her husband, "Yours was just more…abstract."

Sokka smiled and gave his wife a chaste kiss. "You know you're right. Ours was still pretty good and we didn't have to cheat," he said, raising his voice so certain earthbender was sure to hear him.

"I heard that!" Toph yelled.

"You were supposed to!"

Needless to say Toph and Ty Lee won the competition, despite Sokka's insistence that they cheated. He finally shut up about it when the petite earthbender buried him up to his neck in the sand.

The young firebender looked over at his sandcastle and then over at Mai. It had actually been kind of fun building it with her. Maybe being friends wouldn't be that hard. He may not have won today, but he didn't lose either.

* * *

Katara lay in bed, thinking about the past week she had spent with her friends and was sad that it was over so quickly. The days had passed by in a haze of lazing on the beach, swimming in clear waters, meals filled with laughter and nights of cool breezes and pleasant dreams. Unfortunately, it had ended almost as abruptly as it had begun.

She sighed; they had to leave bright and early tomorrow, then she would board another ship that would take her back home. She didn't want to leave.

The young woman was currently trying to sleep so that she could function tomorrow, but sleep was determined to stay away tonight. After a few more minutes of useless tossing and turning she glanced out the window and saw a half moon staring back at her.

_It's not even full! That doesn't even make sense! Why can't I sleep?_

Frustrated, Katara clambered out of bed, deciding she needed some fresh air. When she got outside she saw that she wasn't the only one with that thought. A few yards away, Zuko sat in the sand, staring out into the night. His thin red shirt stretched over the taught muscles of his back and his shaggy hair rustled in the breeze. She was hesitant to join him at first; afraid she was intruding on his solitude, but eventually decided to go anyway.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Zuko looked up at her as she made her way over to sit beside him. "Not tonight."

"Me neither."

"But the moon isn't even close to being full."

She shrugged and gave him a smirk. "The sun isn't even close to being up."

He rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the star-sprinkled sky. It was one of his favorite things about the island. You could see the stars from everywhere on Ember Island.

Katara rested her chin on her knees and relished the feeling of cool sand beneath her toes.

They sat in silence for a while, both of them lost in thought. The waves rolling off the sand was the only sound to fill the night.

"Can you believe it?" she said suddenly, her gaze still set on the sky.

"Believe what?" Zuko asked, turning to face her.

"How much has changed since the last time we were here." She looked at him now, focused, but not intently. It was a comfortable gaze to be under.

He nodded. "Yeah, last time we were here we were hiding from the Fire Lord. This time you came with the Fire Lord."

"You just love to call yourself the Fire Lord, don't you?"

He grinned, "It's one of the perks."

She smiled and continued to sift her fingers through the powder-like sand. The steady silence began to envelop them until Katara spoke.

"It's not just the world that's changed," she said distantly, staring out into the ocean, "all of us have changed too."

How true those words were. They all had changed; it was the only way to keep up with life. They had grown and matured, suffered and celebrated, loved and lost. They were stronger now because of it, but they were also different now too.

He looked at Katara, who still had a hazy look in her eyes. Her face was illuminated by the silvery light of the moon and her eyes seemed to sparkle, making them even more captivating than they already were. The night breeze caressed her skin and grazed her long, chestnut colored hair. He stared for a long time before replying.

"Yeah, things have changed."

* * *

A/N: just wanted to make it clear that the Mai/Zuko this was purely platonic. I just wanted to show that they were starting to be friends because I don't hate Mai. Even though this is a Zutara fic, there will be no intentional Mai or Aang bashing


	7. Roses and Fire Lilies

I guess I missed the boat hehe... well Happy Belated Valentine's Day anyway

A/N: Would anyone be interested in beta reading this story for me? If so, message me. Thanks!

* * *

**Roses and Fire Lilies**

"Zuko," Iroh said purposefully as he strode into the Fire Lord's study, "there is an urgent matter that needs to be dealt with immediately and I need your opinion."

Zuko put down the legislations he was looking over to give the former general his full attention. "What is it, Uncle?"

"Do you think the centerpieces should be of fire lilies or roses?"

Zuko sighed in frustration. "Does it really matter?" he gritted out, "They're just flowers."

"Just flowers?" Uncle said incredulously, "the flowers will set the tone of the party. Fire lilies give a more fun and festive tone, while roses give a more tasteful and elegant impression."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose; he was really starting to regret letting Uncle party plan. When he agreed to let his uncle throw him an eighteenth birthday party, he only did it to make the old man happy, after all the man practically raised Zuko.

Uncle's persistence was a factor too. He wouldn't leave him alone until Zuko had no choice but to say yes. But this had to be the dozenth time he had interrupted him, claiming it was an issue of the utmost importance, and then asking him a stupid question on decorations. Yet he still fell for it every time. The former general was just so damn convincing!

"Okay, how about both then?" Zuko said, wanting to end this pointless conversation. He highly doubted the guests would really care what flowers served as the centerpieces anyway.

Iroh stroked his graying beard for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. "A wise choice, Nephew. Fun _and_ tasteful, both it is then." He jotted something down as made his way to the exit.

"Oh, just one more thing," he said, standing by the doorframe, "what color table cloths would you prefer? Red or gold?"

Zuko sighed. _I hate parties._

_

* * *

_

"Of course this would happen now!" Sokka exclaimed, flailing his arms in the air.

"It's okay, honey, the captain said it would only take a little while," his wife reassured.

"Exactly, he said 'a little while' which means he doesn't know the exact time frame. For all we know 'a little while' could be hours!"

Sokka, Suki, Aang and Katara were standing by the dock waiting for the crew to refuel and get more supplies. Her father and some of the other men had gone to help the crew.

Katara sighed and crossed her arms. She was upset too that they had to make this stop in some Earth Kingdom port. They were probably going to be late for Zuko's party now, but Sokka was acting plain weird, even for him, and she knew what that meant. She rummaged through her travel bag until she finally found what she was looking for.

"Here," Katara said, thrusting a hand out at her brother. "Take it and stop acting so weird."

Sokka was about to retort until he saw the seal jerky in his sisters hand and remembered he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. She knew him too well.

* * *

Zuko really regretted coming in the foyer of the palace. He came to get away from all the commotion, but everywhere he looked servants and maids were bustling along, setting up for tonight.

A sudden pain shot up his left arm and he turned to see who had the audacity to punch the Fire Lord. His frown broke into a smile when he saw the petite women before him.

It still surprised him to see Toph more grown up. He still remembered her as the tough little girl who made him carry her around everywhere. She was still tough, but she wasn't so little anymore. She was taller now, but not by much and she still had a small frame. Her once short, slightly scruffy hair now flowed to the middle of her back and her curves were starting to show from underneath the green tunic. But he knew that even though she looked much more feminine now, she was still the same old Toph.

"So, Sparky, how's it feel to finally be a man?"

"It would feel just as good without a stupid party"

"Come on, Zuko," said Haru, coming up behind the pair, "Why wouldn't you want a birthday party?"

"Because it's just going to be another night where I have to talk to a bunch of snooty nobles and have them shove their daughters in my face."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Haru said, grinning.

Zuko was about to respond when another rush of people came in the already crowded foyer. The servants began directing the musicians where to set up.

"Let's talk in my office," Zuko said as he glanced at the new mass of people.

"Lead the way," said Toph.

The trio wound their way through the crowd of people. The servants slightly parted for their Fire Lord and gave small bows, but today was too busy for extravagant formalities.

They walked through the slightly calmer corridors and made it to Zuko's office.

"It's crazy out there," Toph said, plopping down on one of the chairs.

"Another reason I didn't want a party," Zuko said, sitting down in the gilded chair on the other side of the large, cherry wood desk. "So how have you guys been doing?"

The two earthbenders proceeded to tell him about how the Earth Kingdom was doing well and how some of the villages that were previously devastated by the Fire Nation were finally stabilizing and beginning to prosper.

The conversation was interrupted by a light knock on the door.

"Come in," answered Zuko.

A petite servant girl with short black hair entered and gave a small bow. "The rooms have been prepared. Shall I escort the guests to their quarters?"

Toph got up, stretched, and cracked her knuckles. "That sounds good, I could use a nap," she yawned.

Haru agreed, "See you tonight, Zuko," he said as the servant led him and Toph out of the room.

His uncle came rushing in not even a minute after his friends had left. "Zuko, what are you doing in your study?" he questioned sternly.

"I was just…" Zuko began, but was immediately cut off.

"Today is your birthday you should not be working!"

"Uncle, I wasn't…"

"Come," Iroh said, taking the young man by the wrist, "Let's go to the garden and play a nice relaxing game of Pai Sho. I'll even tell the servants to make some tea too! What kind should…"

His uncle continued to ramble on, but Zuko tuned it out, knowing it was probably something about tea. He inwardly groaned as his uncle continued to drag him toward the gardens.

_I don't even like Pai Sho!_

* * *

"Good evening, Nobleman Hiroshi," Zuko said, shaking the middle-aged man's hand, "Thank you for attending."

"It is an honor, Fire Lord Zuko," replied the large man.

"I hope you have a very enjoyable time."

"I am certain that I will."

Zuko excused himself so he could repeat the same conversation with some other nobleman. He didn't really like parties anyway, but he absolutely hated this part, where he had to greet all the guests and make superficial conversation with them. He was never really good at that kind of stuff, but as Fire Lord he had a lot of unwanted practice.

It was around seven o'clock and most of the guests had already arrived. He glanced over and saw Toph, Haru, Mai, and Ty Lee seated at a table. He was a little despondent when he didn't see the rest of his friends.

_Where are they? Uncle said they were supposed to come hours ago._

Zuko was beginning to worry that something had happened to them or that maybe they weren't coming anymore. He didn't have time to dwell on his thoughts since his uncle came rushing up to him.

"Zuko, most of the guests are here and they are getting a little restless for their dinner. You should make your speech now."

"Now? But not everyone is here," he said, looking over at the half-empty table.

"You mustn't keep the guests waiting any longer. A hungry crowd is not a pleasant one" He began to push Zuko toward the stage. "Go," he said as he practically shoved the Fire Lord up the few steps.

Zuko shot his Uncle a glare and walked towards the podium, trying to keep an impassive face. Even after two years of being Fire Lord, he was still a little nervous when making speeches in front of a lot of people. It was one thing if it was about politics or peace, but it was a different story when it came to social affairs.

The young lord cleared his throat and the room began to quiet down. He could already feel his hands get clammy and struggled to maintain his body temperature. Once silence had fallen upon the grand room, he continued. "I would like to thank you all for attending my eighteenth birthday celebration. It is truly an honor to be in your company tonight. I hope…"

All of a sudden the large double doors to the ballroom were swung open and in entered Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki and a platoon of other guests from the Water Tribe. All eyes were glued to the group of late-comers and whispers started floating through the room

Zuko again cleared his throat to dissolve the awkward moment and continued with his speech. "Anyway…I hope you all have a wonderful time. And again thank you for coming."

The room broke into applause and Zuko tried his best to walk off the stage in a dignified pace as he made his way to the newest arrivals.

"Chief Hakoda, Chief Arnook," he began, shaking each of the men's hand firmly, "thank you for coming."

"Thank you for inviting us, Fire Lord," said Hakoda, "And sorry for arriving so late. There was a bit of a problem with the ship."

"I trust everything is fine now and I am just glad you could attend."

The two men smiled at Zuko and led the rest of their group to the tables reserved for them. Zuko then faced his friends.

"What, we don't get a fancy greeting?" Sokka asked.

"Happy birthday, Zuko," Suki said as she elbowed her husband.

Zuko smiled and said his thanks.

"Sorry we're late. Our ship had to stop to refuel and get more supplies," Aang explained, "we would've been here sooner."

Zuko nodded noticed that Katara wasn't there. Disappointment washed over him at her absence. _Did she not want to come?_ "Where's Katara?"

Sokka shrugged. "She ran off somewhere in the palace when we got here. She said she'd meet us at the ballroom after she took care of something. I think she just had to go to the bathroom."

Zuko was exponentially relieved that Katara was at the palace and didn't just decide not to come.

"Everyone is at the table," he said, pointing toward the others, "Aang and I will join you after we speak to a few more people."

"Here we go again, huh?" Aang said as he and Zuko walk toward a group of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom dignitaries.

"You just got here. I've been doing this all night."

"Well I'm here now, so you won't be alone in this torture. Consider it a sort of birthday present," the young monk said with a grin

Zuko smiled and rolled his eyes. "Thanks," he said sarcastically.

Zuko's face became instantly impassive as he approached the group and Aang's smile dimmed to one suitable for the Avatar.

"Good evening men," Zuko started, "Thank you for attending this celebration."

* * *

"Nice of you guys to show up," Toph said before the others at the table even saw the group walk towards them.

"Our ship had to refuel and got held up," replied Suki.

"Well I'm glad you guys are here now," Ty Lee said cheerfully. Suki noticed that her and Haru were sitting awfully close and glanced over at Mai for an answer. Mai just shrugged and took another sip of her water.

"Where's Sugar Queen?"

Sokka shrugged, "She said she had to do something. She'll probably be here soon."

As if on cue, Katara came walking toward them, her elegant silver dress swinging gracefully with her every step. "Hey guys," she said with a bright smile.

"So what did you have to take care of anyway?" questioned Sokka.

"Oh, I just… wanted to make sure everything got to our rooms safely."

Sokka raised an eyebrow and just stared at Katara. He would've questioned his sister's weird motives more had not they announced that the food was ready.

* * *

The party was well under way and Zuko had already danced with at least half of all the noblemen's daughters. He had had just about enough of the eyelash batting and fake giggling. One of the more overly-confident ones had even wandered her hand dangerously close to his manhood. He had no idea what he would've done if the song hadn't ended before she could… reach her destination. Nobleman Chang certainly needs to keep a better eye his daughter.

Now Zuko was trying to lay low by the refreshments table.

"Hey," said a voice next to him.

He jumped slightly and turned; relieved to see it was just Katara. "Hey, where have you been?"

"On the dance floor, I'm not surprised you didn't notice though. You seemed to have your hands full," she smirked and a playful glint sparked in her eyes. "Or should I say someone else seemed to have their hands full of you."

Zuko's eyes widened in surprise and his cheeks burned crimson. Katara couldn't help but laugh at his state of embarrassment.

"You saw that?" he whispered harshly over her laughter.

Katara wheezed out a response in between her fits of giggles. "Don't… don't worry, I'm pretty sure no one else saw." She took a moment to calm her laughter and take a sip of her drink. "All though I'm not sure how, she didn't seem like she tried to be too discreet about it." Zuko scowled at his grinning friend

"It's not funny!" he exclaimed with his arms fisted at his sides like a petulant child.

"It's a little funny," she smirked back.

Zuko glared at her and crossed his arms. He turned his attention back to the crowd so he wouldn't have to see her teasing smirk. His eyes widened as he saw Nobleman Chang headed his way, his notorious daughter in tow. The man was fast, despite his rotund appearance and made it to the refreshments before Zuko could even make an attempt to run away.

"Fire Lord Zuko," the man bellowed jovially as he bowed slightly, "what a fabulous party. Wonderfully decorated, I especially love the centerpieces. Elegant yet festive."

Katara smiled slightly. The man's colorful air reminded her a little of Uncle. "The music is also tremendous. My daughter, Ying is a fabulous dancer as you have already seen." The black haired girl gave Zuko a demure smile, contradictive to the mischievous look in her honey-colored eyes when she winked at him.

Zuko blushed slightly and averted his eyes. "Uh, yes…" he cleared his throat, "she's um a …lovely dancer." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Katara stifle her grin by taking another sip of her drink.

"She is isn't she," the robust man said as he looked at his daughter and then back to Zuko. "Perhaps you would like to join her for another dance then."

Zuko's eyes widened. _Well, I just walked into that one didn't I?_ "Um…I…"

"Actually, Fire Lord Zuko already promised me the next dance," Katara interjected.

Zuko gaped at her for a moment before giving her a mixed look of shock and gratitude. The nobleman, however, gave her a look of slight annoyance and Katara found herself not liking him so much anymore.

"Very well, another time then." He gave Katara one more look of distaste then turned and left, taking his daughter with him.

Zuko let out a sigh of relief and led her to the dance floor. The couples parted slightly to let the Fire Lord through. Once they were to the middle of the floor he rested his hands on her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thanks for saving me," he whispered in her ear.

"It's the least I could do for the birthday boy," she responded with a playful smirk.

Zuko rolled his eyes, but then had a strangely amused look on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"That's the first time you called me Fire Lord outside a meeting room and without sarcasm," he said rather smugly.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it."

He snorted. "Believe me, I know," he said, giving her a small smile which she immediately returned. The pair danced in comfortable silence, letting the soft sound of music and idle chatter become the only conversation.

"You know what I just thought of," Katara began, "I always seem to keep saving you from these kinds of situations."

"What kinds of situations?" Zuko asked, a bit confused.

"You know, whenever you hideout from arrogant noblemen and their gold-digging daughters."

Zuko thought for a second, "Yeah I guess you do. Although, if I weren't in a ballroom filled with some of the most important dignitaries in the world, her advances might have been more appreciated," he said with a smirk.

That comment won him a light shove from Katara. "You perv!"

Zuko grinned, "What? I'm a guy"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, a perverted guy"

The pair laughed and continued to sway to the soft melody. Katara glanced at Zuko as he scanned the room. His embrace was warm, comforting like a slow rolling fire and being in such close proximity made his ever-burning scent of sandalwood and jasmine fill her senses. She couldn't deny the slight shiver that ran up her spine as his warm breath tickled her ear.

"Nobleman Chang looks ready to pounce. Save me with one more dance?" he whispered.

"Anything for the birthday boy."

* * *

Zuko walked into his chambers, exhausted from the festivities. It was well into the night and he could feel that there were only a few hours left before sun rise.

He dragged himself to the bathroom to wash up and change for bed. He came out and headed straight for the large bed, which looked even comfier than it usually did. He was just about to collapse onto it, when a medium sized box on his dresser caught his eye. The tired young man debated whether to see what it was now or just go to sleep and wait until morning, but eventually curiosity won.

He got up and walked over to the dresser. The box was light blue and had a silver bow on it. He opened it and inside was a book made of fine black leather; a double lined silver border was engraved in it along the sides and in the bottom left hand corner the lines of silver fanned out into elegant swirls. Zuko fingered the book carefully, lightly tracing his thumb over the smooth surface. He opened it and was faced with blank page upon blank page. Next to where the book was, was another smaller box. In it were dozens of colored pieces of charcoal. In the dim light he could see shades ranging from the brightest of reds to the deepest of blues. It was a beautiful set. Zuko was speechless as he continued to look over the book. This was the greatest present anyone had ever given him and he knew exactly who that person was.

He remembered the day Katara had found his sketch book and had given him so much praise for what he thought were mediocre drawings at best. She hadn't told anyone about his secret passion and he was thankful. He wanted it to be something just between him and Katara. A secret.

On the inside back cover of the book was a small note, written in her familiar bubbly handwriting.

_Use this gift to keep doing what you love, because you're too good at it to stop. I hope you have an amazing birthday, Zuko._

_-Sincerely,_

_Katara_

He reread her note and admired her gift for some time before he gently put it in the drawer with his old sketchbook.

As Zuko lay in bed, he let his mind wander over the events of the night. Really the most obvious memories included Katara; from dancing with her to laughing with her to just being around her. Eventuall only one thought lingered before his mind fell into that welcomed vacancy of sleep.

_This was the best birthday I can remember. _


	8. Accidents

Okay, first off I am really really sorry for the ridiculously long wait, but I did have good reason, that reason is that I had to go back and edit some of the chapters. That brings me to another **VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: KATARA AND AANG ARE NOT DATING IN THIS STORY.** So I realized their relationship would make everything wayyyy too complicated later on in the story so I had to change it up a little. You don't have to go back and reread the chapters all you have to know is that they tried dating after the war, realized it didn't work out, but are still friends. Since my story started six months after the war, they've gotten past the awkward stage. Anyway, sorry for the wait and this absurdly long author's note haha. Enjoy!

* * *

**Accidents**

"Focus, breath in and out. Listen to the water and guide it." Katara watched intently as the water slowly sewed the cut. The injured man had been grazed by an ice dagger during a sparring match and damage wasn't too serious. The waterbender saw it as good practice for one of her healing students.

The young, raven-haired girl took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Under her water-gloved hand new skin began to form; the cut slowly shrunk and faded until a faint scar was all that remained.

"Very good, Naomi! That was perfect!" Katara cheered.

Naomi's ice blue eyes shone with pride at her master's words of encouragement. The newly-healed man also showed his gratitude and thanked both girls. He began to leave, but before he could even get to the door a swarm of four or five people rushed into the hut with frantic, worried eyes. In the middle of the crowd was a severely injured man laying unconscious on a stretcher. Katara couldn't see him clearly from her position, but what she could see was the bright red tinge that only came with blood.

"Help! This man needs help!" shouted one of the crowd members.

Katara wasted no time and immediately sprung into action. "Lay him over here!" she ordered, pointing a finger toward an empty cot in the corner of the room. The group instantly parted for her as she rushed over to the bed. Worried looks and silent questions lingered in the many pairs of blue eyes, but Katara paid no attention as she got straight to work.

At first glance the injuries were bad, with a closer look they were horrible. The red tinge was everywhere. Blood flowed from a large gash at the man's temple, painting his ear and matting his dirty hair. One of his eyes was bruised and swollen and his bottom lip was cut right down the middle. His tunic was torn and bloodied and from the tears Katara could see scrapes and cuts ranging from minor to severe. A few ribs were surely broken and from the looks of it so was his left leg.

One of the men in the group began to explain what had happened. His voice was anxious as he recounted the tale. However, Katara was more worried about the injured man to really focus on the whole story.

"-and we were on our way back- huge tiger seal- almost had it- big tusks-"

Katara tuned him out as she began healing the cuts and scrapes on the man's torso and stomach. A large gash on his stomach proved to be difficult, though the muscles of his abdomen shielded the lining of his stomach, the cut was still deep and the blood flow was bad. Katara focused intensely, calling the blood forward, urging it to clot, encouraging the skin to connect.

_Breathe, Katara. You've healed worse, you can do this. Just breathe._

Breathing deeply, she finally managed to stop the blood flow. She was slightly out of breath and there was a thin scab, but it no longer posed an immediate danger.

Some of the other healers had already bandaged and wrapped his leg and Tana, the head healer, was working on the gash at his head. Katara stood up to begin working on mending his ribs, but dizziness overcame her and she wobbled slightly before gripping the bed rail.

"Master Katara, are you alright?" asked one of the healers.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy," Katara said as she regained her balance. "Could you start working on his ribs? I think I need to sit down for a second."

About half an hour later, the five healers managed to stop the man from bleeding to death. Tana sighed wearily as she looked at the women's work.

"Will he be okay?" asked a worried looking, brown-haired man.

"It's hard to tell, his injuries are severe and he's very lucky to be alive, but I think he will recover," said Tana, though her voice did not seem to hold much resolve.

The group of four men seemed to sigh collectively, relieved at the, however slight, assurance that their friend would be okay.

* * *

"The policies regarding our citizens in the colonies have been signed and sealed by the Earth King and have gone into effect."

"Good," replied Zuko in the serious tone of a Fire Lord. Zuko was required to have many personas; one for social gatherings, one for political meetings, one when he met with other nation's leaders, and his real one which he reserved for only his closest friends and family. When he sat on this dais with a curtain of fire portraying him as a shadow of power, he was the Fire Lord. Here he was to be respected and slightly feared.

To the court members he showed a countenance of perfected impassiveness, but really he was bored out of his mind. He'd been sitting in that meeting room the whole morning and, though his seat was comfy, the young man was itching for some fresh air and sunshine.

"Is that the last order of business?" he asked hopefully.

"There is one other matter," said on of the council members. The small man with the balding head fidgeted in his seat, as if hesitant to continue. The rest of the council urged him on with their eyes, already knowing what the little man is going to say.

"It…It has been a few months since His Majesty's eighteenth birthday. According to Fire Nation customs he is now a man. And a man, especially the Fire Lord needs a… a wife." The man had apparently gotten over his stuttering and began to ramble. "You must know how important an heir is, especially in these times with so many rebel groups still brewing. An heir would be needed in case something were to happen to His Majesty—not to say anything would happen, after all our guards have had impeccable training and everyone knows what a great bender our Lord is…"

"Enough," Zuko announced. His voice and the flaring of the fire curtain caused the room to silence. Zuko sighed mentally. He wasn't really mad, he knew the council was going to bring this issue up again; it was their job after all. Really he was a little surprised they waited this long.

The last time this matter was brought up was a week after his eighteenth birthday. The council had wasted no time. They had gone on and on about the importance of an heir and Zuko had gritted his teeth and listened to every word. After they had said their piece, the young lord had explained that an heir could not be in his immediate future, that he had too much to deal with already and did not have time to find a wife. The reasoning, however, didn't stop the ever-persistent council and that's when the Fire Lord had snapped. The yelling that ensued afterward had not been his proudest moments, but it did silence the matter. Until now.

Zuko took a deep breath before he calmly began. "I understand your concern gentleman. I will _attempt _to find a suitable Fire Lady, but will not conduct formal meetings with possible candidates. Know that this matter does not take priority to any other issues, but I realize it is still of importance and will deal with it on my own terms."

This seemed to be a good enough answer for the council, since the only opposition was a few mumbles here and there. The lack of opposition was probably due to his last outburst when this matter was discussed, but Zuko really didn't care if it meant he could get out of there faster.

"Very well, if that is all, you are all dismissed," he declared.

The council members bowed and left the room. As soon as the last one was gone, Zuko rushed to the training yards in as much of a dignified manner as he could.

* * *

It had been a two days since the ordeal. Tana had put Katara in charge of tending to the injured man.

Katara was currently kneading his unbroken leg to prevent atrophy. As she skillfully rolled his ankles, she contemplated what she had learned about this man. His friends had told her that his name was Karuk, that he was a waterbender from the Northern Tribe who came to help rebuild and ended up settling down here, and that his mother loved him immensely.

She looked at the woman sleeping in an old wooden chair by her son's bed. The older woman had not left the hut since she heard about her son, only leaving his bedside to use the bathroom and sometimes get food.

Katara let out a breath of exhaustion and plopped down in a chair by the bed, causing a rather loud creaking sound. Karuk's mother shifted and her sapphire eyes slowly blinked awake as she sat upright.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Katara apologized.

The woman gave Katara a small smile. There was a hint of sadness beneath it, probably from the realization of where she had woken up and why she was there. "It's fine dear," she said. She then looked at her son, lying on the cot with bandages and bruises covering most of his body. "How is he doing?"

"He's fine," said Katara, "but he still hasn't woken up."

She nodded and continued to stare at her son for a long moment before she turned her attention to Katara. The young healer's heart went out to this woman, whose eyes were now brimming with tears for her son. "Will he ever wake up?" she choked out, the tears threatening to take over her voice too.

Katara looked at this woman and thought about what to tell her. She could lie; tell her everything was going to be okay and that her son would wake up soon, but this woman deserved more than that. She deserved to know the truth.

"I…I don't know," Katara said quietly.

With those words, the woman's tears tumbled down as she began to weep. Katara did the only thing she could and held her as the tears turned into sobs. In response, the woman clutched at Katara's shirt, her salty tears seeping into the fabric. The waterbender closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry. Crying would be selfish; this grief did not belong to her. She clenched her jaw and held the shaking woman tighter.

* * *

About two weeks had passed and Karuk still had not woken up. His scrapes and bruises were almost all healed and his bones were coming together nicely, but his mind still wandered beyond reach.

Over the weeks Katara had grown quite close to Karuk's mother, Nala. She was kind, yet strong and possessed a kind of warmth that only mothers could. In many ways Nala reminded Katara of her own mother, so much sometimes that it hurt. While Katara didn't have a mother, Karuk no longer had a father. Nala said that he had died about ten years ago in a whaling accident. Nala was heartbroken, but Karuk was still young and had been devastated when he realized his father was never coming home. She could relate to that feeling.

Now Nala was entertaining Katara with a tale of Karuk's childhood.

"He decided that sledding on one penguin was not enough, so him and one of his friends thought it would be fun to surf on the penguin and jump onto another one. Needless to say it didn't work very well," the older woman let out a small laugh at the memory. "He was always so adventurous, so ready to try new things. I always worried about him, even when he told me not to, but when you're a mother you can't help but worry. You hope and pray that your children come home safely and when something like this happens…" her words were barely a whisper now as she stared at her still unconscious son. "I already lost his father, I can't lose him too. I just can't," she said, her voice on the verge of breaking.

Katara leaned over the bed and rested her hand gently on the older woman's. She gently rubbed the slightly calloused hand of the older woman and gave her a small smile, which Nala weakly returned.

A couple hours later, Katara had come back to check on Karuk and found his mother snoring lightly, her hand loosely holding her son's. She checked on his bandages and made sure his leg was properly elevated. Finally, satisfied that everything was right, she looked at the young man. His mother had told her so many stories about him that she felt like she already knew him. Katara closed her eyes and did something she did not do often, she prayed. She prayed to the spirits that Karuk would be alright, at least for his mother's sake.

Karuk drearily opened his eyes and blinked, clearing away the slight haziness. His eyes were still hooded from exhaustion, but in the minimal light he saw the face of a girl. Her eyes were closed and her expression was focused yet peaceful, as if she were deep in thought. When she did open her eyes, she looked at something to the right of him, what she was looking at was beyond him because all he could focus on were her eyes. Even through his slightly blurred vision, he could see every shade of blue that danced in her ocean eyes and suddenly realized where he was.

_Oh, shit. I'm dead. Shit._

He opened his eyes and once again caught sight of the beautiful girl.

_Well, at least I ended up in heaven. _

Katara peeled her eyes away from the clasped hands of a woman and her son before the tears threatened to spill over. She glanced over again at the man, intending to work on the cut on his temple, but was surprised when she was met with a pair of weary blue eyes. She gasped and stood still for a moment, too surprised and elated to do anything yet. A moan from Karuk as he tried to shift in his cot broke her out of her state of shock.

"Nala! Nala, wake up!" she whispered urgently. The older women stirred in her seat, her eyes shot open, and then blinked in the dim light of the hut.

"He's awake! He's awake!"

Nala immediately rushed out of her seat and stood by the side of the cot. Tears had formed in her eyes once she saw the sapphire eyes of her son look up at her. Her arms wrapped around his body as her tears of joy dampened his tunic.

Karuk was taken aback for a moment and the realization that this was his mother embracing him came slowly since his focus was still on the ocean-eyed girl. Slowly he began to grasp what was going on. The haziness cleared from his eyes and the symphony of coughs and moans told him he was in the healing hut.

"Mom?" he croaked, his voice broken from weeks of disuse.

His mother looked back at him and uselessly brushed away her tears as more continued to flow down her face. She was so happy to hear that one word again. Her smile was warm and bright, finally reaching her eyes a way Katara had never seen before.

"Karuk, my son, you're okay," Nala said, her voice a little watery as she brushed his hair away from his face. "You're okay."

Katara watched with warmth in her eyes at this reunion. She used the sleeve of her tunic to wipe her eyes and couldn't help but let out a small laugh at this happy moment.

"I'll go tell Tana he's awake," she said a smile still in her voice despite the water in her eyes.

Nala sniffled and gave a watery laugh. "Thank you. Thank you for everything, Katara."


	9. Male Pride

So sorry for the lateness. This story was actually going to be up last tuesday, but my laptop decided to not turn on and I was going out of town the next day and I told my dad to fix it. When I came back, all the documents were gone and I was so pissed cause I had an english project on it too, but my dad eventually found the stuff thus this new chapter. Anyway now that you've sat through my virtual rant, you can go on and read the actual story. I had fun writing this chapter and I hope you guys have fun reading it!

* * *

**Male Pride**

Summer was slowly coming to an end in the South Pole. The days were getting shorter and the air crisper. It was Katara's favorite time of year. The summer was warm, but the sun never seemed to set and in the winter she always felt so restless with the moon always out. But the time in between, when the sun and the moon shared the sky and the days were balanced, was perfect.

Katara was on her way to the Healing Hut to check on Karuk. He had finally awoken a few days ago and was doing much better, but he was still weak and spent most of the day sleeping. Most was better than all though.

No surprise, Karuk was fast asleep when she saw him, but she was surprised by the fact that Nala was not in the chair right next to him.

_She probably went home to rest. La knows she needs it after what she's been through these past few weeks._

She decided she would check on how well the cuts and scrapes were healing on his chest. There were none left on his face, all that remained there was a faint bruise under his left eye and the bandages wrapped around his head.

Karuk awoke to soft hands grazing his chest. His eyes fluttered open and he blushed slightly when he saw her, Katara. He closed his eyes again and pretended to be asleep, it's not everyday that a beautiful girl runs her hands all over you.

_Might as well enjoy it while it lasts_, he thought.

To his chagrin, she had stopped after a couple more minutes of inspecting. He decided this was as good a time as any to 'wake up'.

"You're awake," Katara smiled, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," he replied his voice still a little hoarse, "Thanks."

She smiled another one of her stunning smiles and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't starting to have a little crush on his healer.

"You must be hungry."

He nodded. "I'll go get you some soup," she said. He watched as she walked away only to return a moment later with a steaming bowl of, what smelt like, sea squid soup.

Katara set the bowl down and propped Karuk up to a sitting position before giving him the bowl. She then sat in the chair next to him just in case he needed help. She thought it might be a little weird if she just sat there and watched him eat and decided making conversation would be a better route. She realized she had never really talked to Karuk, although she felt as if she already knew so much about him from his mother. He spent most of his time sleeping and when he was awake either his mother or one of his friends were with him so she never had the chance to make conversation before.

"Um, I'm Katara… by the way." _Wow, great conversation starter, Katara. Real smooth._

Karuk smiled. "I know, my mom told me. She seems to really like you."

Katara smiled at the mention of the older woman. "I really like her too." Karuk nodded. Silence passed between the two and the only sounds were the background noises of the hut and the slurping of soup. "So…how'd you end up here anyway?" she asked, hoping this attempt would go better than the last.

Karuk raised an eyebrow, "No one told you?"

She realized she probably should've listened a little when the others had told her. "Well, your friends did tell me, but I was kind of more interested in stopping the bleeding than finding out what caused it."

Karuk gave a small laugh. "Yeah I guess I should thank you for that, the stopping the bleeding and everything. So thanks, Katara." He realized that was the first time he'd ever said her name out loud. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue.

"You're welcome. So are you going to answer my question?"

"What… Oh, right. Well, my friends and I had gone ice fishing and in case you didn't know, ice fishing is really boring. After hours of sitting there and freezing our butts off we had only caught four fish. So I convinced them that we should go hunting so we don't embarrass ourselves by coming home with four fish after a whole day. We're out there and we see this huge tiger-seal. I told the other's to stand back, that I'd take care of it. Not my best idea. Anyway, I make an ice dagger and hurl it at the tiger-seal. It brushes one of it's legs and it starts bleeding. Now it's mad and running towards me and I'm just about to freeze it when it suddenly leaps in the air and knocks me down. Everything went black after that, but I'm assuming it got a little revenge before the others could kill it."

Katara's hand covered her mouth and her eyes were wide. "Spirits, that's horrible!"

Karuk shrugged. "I know. It's my own fault, I'm the one who suggested we go hunting, but come on we couldn't come back with four fish."

"And why exactly did you tell the other's to stand back while you 'took care of it'?" she asked, making air quotations with her fingers.

"To prove that I could," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh and how exactly did that go?" she questioned, arms crossed over her chest and eyebrow arched upward.

"It would have gone swimmingly if that tiger-seal hadn't suddenly had the urge to jump out of no where."

Katara rolled here eyes. "Men and their egos"

Karuk grinned and shrugged, "That's why we need women around, to make us see reason or else our pride would be the death of us."

"In your case it almost was," she pointed out.

He smiled, "Then it's a good thing you were there to save me."

* * *

Zuko stood at the bow of his flagship, staring ahead as the wind rushed through his untamed hair. He would be arriving in the Earth Kingdom soon and in a few days. The Third Annual Peace Summit would be held in Ba Sing Se this year. He was going to arrive early so he could spend some time with his uncle at the Jasmine Dragon and work out a trade agreement with the Earth King before the others arrived.

Though the young Fire Lord's face was impassive as he stared into the sea, he was actually quite excited. The Peace Summit was his favorite time of year, since it was usually the only time he saw all his friends together. Usually it was held during the winter, but it got colder in the Earth Kingdom during the winter than it did in the Fire Nation so it would be held in the fall this year. Zuko didn't mind, he liked the fall. He liked the cooler days and the changing colors of the leaves from greens to yellows to reds. Fire Nation summers were blistering and the sun set too soon for his taste in the winter. He enjoyed the time in between, when cool breeze would sweep through the lands and signal the end of days of unbearable heat.

In three weeks all his friends would arrive and he would see Aang, Sokka and Suki, Haru, Toph, and Katara again. Katara. He hadn't gotten the chance to properly thank her for the incredible gift she had given him, although he had continually thanked her in their letters to the point where it annoyed her.

'_La, I would've never gotten you anything at all if I knew you would be this annoying! Stop thanking me so much Zuko!'_

He smiled at the memory, but his thoughts were cut short as the Earth Kingdom port came into view. "Lord Zuko, we will be arriving in the Earth Kingdom by sundown," said the captain.

Zuko nodded and watched the crew bustle about, getting everything ready to come into port.

When they finally docked, his uncle was there waiting for him with a huge grin on his aging face.

"Zuko, glad to see you arrived safely," he said as he pulled the younger man into a big hug.

"Good to see you too, Uncle," he managed to wheeze out, as the old man practically squeezed the life out of him in the pretense of a hug.

"You must be tired from your journey. Let's go back to the tea shop and you can tell me what you've been up to while we enjoy a nice cup of oolong."

Zuko rolled his eyes. To his uncle a conversation was not complete without a cup of tea.

* * *

It had been almost two weeks since Katara's first conversation with Karuk and many more followed after that. He was doing much better and was awake more often now. She found that she really liked talking to him. She looked forward to laughing at the stories he couldn't tell his mother for fear of getting yelled at and she would tell him stories of different adventures she had had with the Gaang.

"Wow," Karuk said. She had just finished telling him about the time the Gaang had found the secret library in the desert and encountered Wan Shi Tong. "The spirit was a giant owl? Really?" he asked incredulously

Katara giggled, "Yup"

"You are so lucky. You got to travel all over the world and with the Avatar too! That's amazing."

"Yeah, we had some great times, but it wasn't all fun. I can't tell you how many times we almost got killed one way or another."

"And your parents were okay with you and your brother leaving? I'd be worried sick if my children were traveling all around the world."

"Well my dad was out fighting in the war, so Sokka and I lived with Gran Gran."

"Not with your mom?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

Katara was silent for a moment. Her gaze was at the wall, but he could tell her thoughts were somewhere else. Karuk began to worry that he had said something wrong when she continued to be silent. He was just about to apologize for whatever he said when she started talking again.

"My mother died when I was young. The Fire Nation killed her," Katara's voice was barely a whisper, but it was steady and strong. She was older now and could finally speak of her mother without tears getting in the way. Time had taught her that her mother would always be with her in spirit, but still she was only human and some days 'in spirit' just wasn't enough.

She felt a warm hand on hers and saw that it was Karuk's. "I'm so sorry Katara. I know what its like to have a parent taken away from you."

Katara nodded. Karuk knew what it was like to have a parent taken away, but he didn't understand what it was like to have your mother taken away.

* * *

It had been a week since Zuko arrived in Ba Sing Se. He enjoyed staying with his uncle and helping him run the Jasmine Dragon. The customers were shocked when they saw the Fire Lord behind the counter, taking their tea orders, but Zuko figured it was a good thing. He had taken Katara's advice and now his people saw him as one of them and not just their Lord. They had respected him before, but now that they could connect with him, the respect ran much deeper. Now he had the chance to make the people of the Earth Kingdom see him as someone more than just the Fire Lord. He kind of liked working at the tea shop anyway; it reminded him of the days when it was just Uncle and him, just two refugees starting over.

Zuko was on his way down to the shop. He had just finished his bath after an intense firebending practice. When he got downstairs he saw his uncle laughing over something with a brunette girl. Her back was to him so he couldn't see her face.

His uncle saw him and was now beckoning him to come over. "Zuko! Look who it is."

The brunette girl turned around and her big brown eyes got even wider when she saw who Iroh was talking to. "Li!" she blurted out.

It had been a long time since he had been called that, almost three years to be exact. The girl looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place a name on her.

"Do I know you?" he asked as he took a seat next to his uncle.

"Don't you remember, Li? Oh well I guess I should call you Fire Lord Zuko now, huh?" she said brightly.

"I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Zuko, how could you forget such a lovely young lady," Uncle chided. "Don't you remember Jin?"

Now Zuko's eyes were the ones to get wide. "Jin!" he exclaimed. _Why did I just yell her name? I'm such an idiot. _"Um, it's … good to see you again," he said, trying to recover.

The green clad girl smiled brightly at him. "It's good to see you too."

Iroh felt that this was a good time to take his leave. "I'll leave you two alone to catch up."

Zuko, desperate to evade this potentially awkward situation, grabbed the sleeve of his uncle's yukata, "Really Uncle, there's no need for you to leave."

Iroh tugged on his sleeve to remove it from his nephew's grasp. "Nonsense, Zuko. You two should have some privacy, I'm sure you have much catching up to do. Besides I have customers to attend to."

Zuko watched helplessly as his Uncle went to greet some arriving customers before turning his attention back to the girl sitting across from him.

"So Fire Lord, huh? You didn't mention that before," Jin started.

Zuko sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… sorry about that. We were trying to stay…inconspicuous."

Jin smiled and nodded. "That explains Li and Mushi. So tell me, were you really a juggler in a traveling circus?"

Zuko knit his brow in confusion at the odd question, before he remembered that he had told her that once. "Oh, um…no. I wasn't."

"That explains the terrible juggling then."

Zuko smiled and nodded, then continued to stare at his tea. Moments of silence passed by between the two and Zuko wondered if it was as awkward for her as it was for him. He mentally cursed his Uncle for leaving. At least it couldn't get much worse.

Jin smirked and broke the silence. "So I went on a date with Fire Lord Zuko."

He was wrong, it got worse. Zuko's face heated up and he prayed that the blush wasn't too obvious. "Uh…"

Jin giggled at his obvious embarrassment, which only caused Zuko's face to heat up more. "I always wondered how you made those lanterns light up."

"Well now you know," he smiled slightly.

"That was really sweet of you to do that."

Zuko shrugged. "It was no problem."

"That was a nice night, wasn't it?" she asked.

Zuko nodded and stared at the tea, at the kettle, at the spoons, at anything but the girl across from him.

"Maybe I could show you around the city while you're here?" she offered.

"Actually I have to go to the Earth Palace to speak to King Kuei."

"Oh right, duty calls," she smiled. Another span of silence stretched between them before Jin got up. "It was nice talking to you Li, er, Fire Lord Zuko. Take care and tell your uncle I said thank you for the tea."

"I will," he responded and watched as the girl left. He wondered why he said no to having her show him around. He was still here for a few days, but if he had said yes it might have led her on. Jin was pretty and nice and seemed to like him. And they had gone on a date before, but even then he didn't really feel anything for her.

Zuko got up and walked back into the kitchen.

"So how was it catching up with Miss Jin?" asked Iroh casually.

"Fine," Zuko replied stoically.

"She's a lovely girl. Don't you agree?"

"Sure," was the only reply Iroh got.

"So, are you going to see her again?" he asked, trying to get more than one word out of his sometimes infuriatingly obtuse nephew.

"No"

"And why not? Did she not ask to show you around?" Iroh had been sure she would offer after all the hints he had dropped about Zuko wanting to see the city, but having no one to show him around.

"She did, but I declined."

"One does not grow rice by refusing to plant the seeds."

"What?" Zuko asked, annoyed by his Uncle's random metaphors

Iroh put down the tea cup he was washing. "Zuko, you're never going to get an heir by declining offers made by pretty girls."

Zuko's eyes went wide at his uncle's directness. He wished he'd never asked for clarification. "I knew I shouldn't have told you that," he groaned as he walked away from his uncle to avoid the topic.

"I would have found out anyway," he yelled after his nephew. Iroh just smiled as he continued to wash the tea cups. He would let it go for now, but if Zuko thought he was done meddling then he had another thing coming.

* * *

Karuk figured it was now or never. He had been building up the courage for the last couple of days and thought that this was as good a time as any to ask her. He didn't know why it was so hard, it's not like he had never asked a girl out before, but Katara was different. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also witty and intelligent and the most interesting person he had ever met. She had done and seen things he had only dreamed of. She had met people he had only heard of. She had even dated the Avatar, for Spirit's sake! He was just a guy from the Water Tribe. Karuk prayed that his charm would get him through it.

"So, Katara," he began, "maybe after I get out of here you and me could get something to eat. Maybe see a play?"

Katara cocked an eyebrow and stopped checking Karuk's leg to face him. _Is he actually asking me out while he's laying all bandaged up in a bed? Well, confidence is definitely something he has enough of._

"Are you asking me out?" she asked hesitantly.

Karuk grinned sheepishly. "Maybe"

Katara was used to attention from guys, even when she was younger she would get looks, some admiring and some that just made her skin crawl. When she turned sixteen, the courting began. Men would come to her doorstep to give her a trinket of something they had sculpted or carved. No matter how many times she politely declined, they kept coming back. Eventually they got the hint since the sculptures at her doorstep were only a monthly thing now.

Karuk was a good friend though. He was funny and interesting and unlike some of the other men of the tribe, he truly did respect her and woman in general. But come on, who asks out a girl while she's bandaging your leg?

"Well, _maybe_ you should focus on getting better instead of trying to get dates," Katara said, averting her attention back to the bandaged leg.

_Ouch, _Karuk thought._ Maybe this wasn't the best time to ask. It's okay, Karuk, minor set back. I'll try again in a more romantic way once I'm out of this damn bed. _"Okay, fair enough, but just so you know I don't give up that easily," he said.

"Oh, I believe you."

"Just wait, once I'm out of this bed, you won't be able to resist me," he said with a playful grin.

Katara laughed, "Well someone's cocky."

He shrugged. "Its how I deal after that blow you just gave to my ego," he said jokingly.

"Well I'm glad to know you managed to salvage your amazingly huge ego," she joked back. Katara was so glad that just because she said no to going out with Karuk didn't mean they couldn't be friends. He always could make her laugh and she wanted to keep him in her life.

* * *

It had been a few days since Karuk had asked her out and in a few more days she would be leaving for the Earth Kingdom to attend the Peace Summit. She hadn't told Karuk yet, but figured she had to since she couldn't just be here one day and then come back a month later.

"So you're doing well now. You're healthy aside from the broken bones," she began.

Karuk put his empty bowl down to reply to her random statement, "Yeah, pretty soon I'll be out of here."

She nodded, "So you don't really need me much anymore? To heal you?"

"Um…I guess not," he said hesitantly, wondering what this was about. "What's up, Katara?"

"Well, I have to go to the Earth Kingdom in a few days for the Peace Summit and I want to make sure you're healthy enough for me to leave," she said quickly.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine," Karuk said. He physically was fine, but that still didn't mean he wanted her to leave. Even if Katara had said no to a date, he still did enjoy her company just as friends. "How long will you be gone?" he asked.

"I'll be there for two weeks and it takes a week to get there and a week to come back so about a month," she explained.

A month without Katara. For some reason that seemed worse than it should have. "Well I hope you have fun, but not too much fun. You know how those Earth Kingdom boys are," he joked.

Katara laughed, "Thanks. And by the time I get back, you'll finally be out of this bed."

"And then you won't be able to resist me," he smirked.

"Oh yeah, definitely," she said sarcastically, "I just won't be able to stay away from you."

Karuk shrugged arrogantly and they laughed. "I really will miss you though, Katara," he said more seriously.

She smiled softly at him. "Me too."

* * *

Ooooo what''s going on with Karuk in the mix now? I guess you'll just have to wait and see :)


	10. Sleeping In

here's an extra long chapter!

* * *

**Sleeping In**

Katara looked out the window and was met with a view of grand Upper Ring houses and wealthy people strolling about on this breezy fall day. She was currently in a carriage, making her way towards the palace. She was supposed to arrive tomorrow, the day the Peace Summit officially began, but the seas were unexpectedly calm thus making her a day early. She definitely did not mind though, it meant she wouldn't have to be a part of the chaos of all the arriving representatives plus she wouldn't be alone since Zuko was here already too.

She could feel the terrain get steeper and guessed they were almost there. Soon the carriage had stopped and the driver had her door open before she could even lift a finger.

"Thank you," she said kindly.

"You are most welcome, Lady Katara," the green and brown clad man replied and went into a deep bow.

Katara gasped at the view before her; she had been to the Earth Palace once before, but it still awed her. The sheer enormity of the palace was astounding in its self. The front of the palace was humongous, with green and gold Earth Kingdom banners all around the walls. Its block-like structure made it seem even larger, unlike the more refined Fire Palace architecture or the intricate designs of the Northern Water Tribe Palace.

The inside was just as amazing. The décor wasn't as grand as the reds and gold's of the Fire Nation, but had a softer, calmer feel with the different shades of green and beige. Still, she did and always would prefer blue.

"Lady Katara," said a young woman as she bowed respectfully, "I am Jing and I will be your servant for your stay in the Earth Kingdom. Would you like me to show you to your room?"

"Yes, please," Katara responded. "Where are the Fire Lord and the Earth King?" Katara asked. Really she was more interested in where the Fire Lord was, but figured she should ask about both for etiquette's sake.

"The Fire Lord and the Earth King are in a private meeting, but they should be out shortly."

Katara nodded and the pair continued to walk the corridors, which were much larger, but far less ornate than the ones of the Fire Palace.

"Here is your room, Lady Katara," Jing said when they stopped in front of a light-beige wooden door. "Your things are already inside and feel free to ask any of the servants when you need something if I am not around."

"Thank you, Jing," she smiled politely.

Jing nodded and bowed again before leaving.

Katara entered the room and immediately flopped down on the bed rather ungracefully. She didn't feel like putting her stuff away, but figured she should at least look up to see if it was there. She turned herself around so that she was lying on her back, propped up on her elbows so she could get a view of her room. The room was very large and beautiful in its simplicity. The walls were a soft green and the few pieces of furniture were of a light colored cedar with gold trimming. Light poured in from the window on the left that was draped in a light gold colored curtain with little green leaves on them. She probably would've looked around more, but was exhausted from the travelling. With a quick glance to the corner she saw that her things were safely there. Reassured, Katara crawled under the soft green comforter and immediately drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Katara awoke to find that the soft sunlight she had fallen asleep to was now a bright golden light that shone directly on her face as she opened her eyes. She could tell that the sun was past its zenith.

_La, I must've slept for hours._

The grumbling of her stomach told her she had definitely slept through lunch.

Katara got out of bed and washed up so she would at least look presentable. She changed from her traveling clothes into lighter attire, since the Earth Kingdom was not nearly as cold as the Water Tribes, and walked out to find some food. She walked down the hallway and rounded the corner in search of a servant when she ran into a hard chest. Warm hands steadied her before she fell.

"Nice to see you're finally awake," said the raspy voice she had come to know so well.

"Zuko!" she exclaimed before she hugged him. The she pulled away and smacked him lightly on the arm. "Stop running into me!"

"You're the one who ran into me!" he argued.

Katara opened her mouth to respond, but realized he was right so decided to change the subject. "Anyway, how was your meeting with the Earth King?"

"It went well, we-" Zuko was interrupted when a loud growling sound came from Katara's stomach. "Sorry," she blushed and grabbed her stomach as if that would quiet it down. Zuko chuckled, "Its okay, I should've know you would have been hungry since you missed lunch and everything."

"What time is it anyway?" she asked.

"Its probably around three."

"Three! I slept for six hours?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, you were completely knocked out. I knocked on your door a few hours ago and so did the maidservants when they went call you for lunch, but you didn't even stir."

Katara groaned, "La, thats so embarassing."

Zuko laughed again earning a glare from Katara. "Its not that bad, everyone gets tired from travelling," he assured.

"But they don't sleep for six hours afterwards," she mumbled.

Zuko just shrugged. "Let's just get you some food now."

Katara nodded, "I was on my way to find a servant-"

Zuko's face contorted in confusion, "Why would you do that? Everyone knows the best food in Ba Sing Se is the street food. Even King Kuei tells his servants to go to the Middle Ring and get it for him."

"Really? Since when did you become such an expert on Ba Sing Se cuisine?" Katara asked with a smirk.

"Since I used to be a refugee here. Not all of us were pampered in palaces the first time we came to Ba Sing Se," he remarked slyly. Katara just rolled her eyes, "Okay can we just go now before I collapse from starvation?"

"We can't just go, we have to sneak out. We'd be horded by the citizens if we just showed up with a bunch of carriages and servants. Meet me by the small pond in the far right corner of the garden in ten minutes," he said as he started making his way down the corridor.

"But the gardens are huge! How am I supposed to find a tiny pond?" she yelled from the corner.

"It's in the far right corner and shaded by a few oak trees! You can't miss it if you know what you're looking for," he called back, while still continuing to walk.

* * *

Katara's stomach let out another growl as she continued to wander through the immense gardens. She would have to remember to come back to take a leisurely look around when she wasn't starving and on a wild goose chase for some mysterious spot.

_This better be some damn good food, Zuko._

It had been twenty minutes since she last saw Zuko and she had spent that entire twenty minutes walking to the far corner of the garden. Once she got there she immediately saw the spot, but she understood what he meant, she would've never seen it if she didn't know it was there. She entered the small area that was almost entirely concealed by two oak trees, only allowing a minimal amount of light to enter. A small pond, only about five feet in diameter, stood at the center surrounded by wild grass and vivid pink tulips. Zuko sat on the marble bench at the side of the pond, a dark red cloak shading his face.

"Took you long enough," he teased. She couldn't see it, but she knew that annoying little Zuko-smirk was there.

"Shut up," she said, rolling her eyes and continued to look around the small area. "This place is beautiful. How'd you find it anyway?"

He just shrugged. "The Fire Nation Palace has a lot of secret places, I figured the Earth Palace would too. You just have to know what you're looking for."

Katara's stomach let out another low rumble causing a light blush to paint her cheeks, which Zuko found kind of cute.

"Sorry, you must be starving by now," said Zuko. "Let's go." He turned his back to her and started scaling the large outer wall of the palace with such ease that Katara couldn't help but stare in awe. Once Zuko sat on the ledge of the wall he turned to see Katara still on the ground. "Are you coming?" he asked. His voice brought Katara out of her momentary trance and she mumbled a "yeah" before climbing.

Zuko made it look way easier than it was. She had climbed a lot of things in her life: trees, forts, a flying bison, but this was by far the hardest. She gripped the stone pieces with the tips of her fingers, while the tips of her toes struggled to remain balanced on the barely protruding bricks of the wall. Even with Zuko helping her up at the top, her finger tips were still scratched and red.

"Spirits, how do you do that so easily?" she asked once they both were sitting on the ledge.

"Practice," he answered before jumping the ten feet from the wall and landing gracefully on the grass below. Katara followed suit and soon he was leading her away from the palace, through the Upper Ring until they reached the Middle Ring. Zuko led her through the busy streets of the Middle Ring, but Katara was too distracted trying to take in all the sights and sounds. The streets were bustling with activity; vendors shouting, children playing, people going about there lives. It was like the festival in the Fire Nation, except the idea that it was like this everyday struck her more.

Zuko glanced back again to see Katara still behind. He made his way through the crowd until he was partially behind her. "Stay close or you'll get lost," he whispered into her ear. Suddenly her hand was in his as he guided them towards one side of the street. A small shiver ran up her spine at the innocent contact. _Must've been a breeze._ She wouldn't allow herself to think logically because then she would realize that there was no way she could feel a breeze in this mass of people.

Zuko finally stopped in front of one the carts in the long row of vendor's. The savory aromas were practically making Katara's mouth water.

"Two, please," Zuko said to the older man on the other side of the cart. The man grunted and nodded then proceeded to pull out two skewers from the warmer. The skewers had large chunks of meat on them, interspersed by brightly colored fruits and vegetables. The man handed the sticks to Zuko and he paid him in return.

Zuko handed a skewer to Katara as they began to walk to a more quiet area of the city. Katara glanced skeptically at the stick of food. It smelled good, but it did come from a sketchy guy working a cart. "Are you sure this is good?" she asked Zuko doubtfully.

"Trust me, if its not the best thing you've ever eaten, I will personally hand over my throne."

"Pft, like I'd want it," she teased, but was stilll reassured by Zuko's appraisal of the food. She saw that he had already finished a quarter of his and she was absolutely ravenous by this point, so she hesitantly took a bite. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. The meat was tender, but still slightly tough and was bursting with flavor. She had tried native Earth Kingdom vegetables before, but they were never this good. The squash-tomato was grilled to perfection and the pineapple-peach brought a certain sweetness to it. Katara devoured it greedily, she even finished before Zuko and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Can we get another one?"

* * *

The pair wandered around the Middle Ring after having finished their second shish kabob, as Zuko had called it. Neither wanted to go back to the palace and now that Katara's stomach was calm she wanted to see more of Ba Sing Se.

"Isn't your uncle's tea shop in the Middle Ring?" Katara asked as she eyed the stalls they passed by.

"Yeah, but its on the other side and he's busy training new employees today anyway," he replied.

Katara was about to ask when they could visit Uncle Iroh when all of a sudden a basket crashed into her side and toppled out of the owner's arms.

"I am so sorry!" said the brunette girl as she bent down to pick up the fallen vegetables. "I should've been watching where I was going."

"It's okay," said Katara as she helped the girl pick up the produce. "No harm done."

Zuko froze up when he recognized the girl and prayed to Agni that his cloak would not fail him now and hide his identity.

"Thank you so much and again I'm really sor- Li!" she said in surprise as she recognized the man by the telltale scar the she saw from her angle on the ground. "er, I mean Fire Lord," she corrected as she gave him an awkward bow while still holding onto the basket.

"Um, could you not do that?" Zuko pleaded, referring to the bowing, "I'm trying not to draw attention."

"Oh, sorry," she replied sheepishly. Jin looked at him, then at the beautiful blue-eyed girl by his side and it all suddenly clicked in her mind. "Oh...now I see why you were hesitant in letting me show you around the city," she said softly with a small smile as she glanced at Katara.

Zuko's brow furrowed in confusion, before his eyes went wide in understanding. "Oh! No we're not-it's not like that-" he stuttered as he shook his head. He cringed at his own awkwardness.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain yourself to me, I understand," she said, her smile genuine. "Although, I don't know why General Iroh said...nevermind. I really am happy for you though and it was nice meeting you," she said to Katara. She left Zuko with one more smile before she walked away, leaving Katara very confused and Zuko at a loss for words.

* * *

The walk back to the palace had been silent between the pair, mainly because it was rush hour in the Middle Ring and even if either one of them had said anything the other probably wouldn't have heard. They were quiet as they skillfully evaded the guards and snuck back into the palace. And when Katara was about to question Zuko about the girl in the market, he had said he needed to take a bath and walked away with quick strides. Then they saw each other again at dinner, but sat across from each other on either side of King Kuei and Bosco so she couldn't question him then either. Now the pair sat by the fire, drinking tea in one of the private lounges. Finally she could get some information out of the evasive firebender.

As Zuko settled down with his mug of tea, Katara wasted no time. "So you seem to know a lot of random things about Ba Sing Se. Random places, random foods, random _people_."

Zuko froze mid-sip, of course he knew she was going to ask, but he had though that she would at least wait until he could get comfortable. "Yeah, I guess I do," he said, feigning obtuseness.

Katara rolled her eyes, she knew he knew what she was implying. He was just trying to push her buttons. "Okay enough with the subtlety. Who was the girl in the market and how did she know you?"

"She's just an acquaintance."

"Yeah, right. Just tell me who she is!"

"I just did." Katara groaned into one of the decorative pillows and Zuko too another sip from his tea to hide his amused smile.

Katara decided to take a different tactic. "Okay, so why'd she call you Li?"

Zuko deemed the question innocent enough to give a real answer to."That's what I went by when Uncle and I were refugees. I was Li and Uncle was Mushi."

_Mushi? What kind of a name is that? I'll have to ask more about that later._ "Can you at least tell me her name?"

"Jin."

"Okay can you..." she started, trying to think of another question, but got frustrated fast. She didn't want to play twenty questions she just wanted to know who the damn girl was! "Spirits Zuko just tell me who she is!"

Zuko bit back a smile at Katara's obvious agravation. He loved pushing her buttons. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because-because I just do, okay!"

Zuko decided she had suffered enough. Anyway, she probably wasn't going to drop this until she found out what she wanted to know. She was just stubborn like that. Zuko let out a heavy sigh, "Fine, I'll tell you. She used to come into the tea shop a lot when Uncle and I lived here. I was convinced she was a spy who knew we were firebenders, but she wasn't."

"Well who was she?" Katara prompted.

Zuko's cheeks were tinged with a slight pink color. "Uncle thought she had a crush on me and he was right," he mumbled.

Katara bit back a laugh. "What a ladies man," she commented, causing Zuko to throw her a glare. "But she seemed like she knew you better than just seeing you at the tea shop a few times."

"Yeah, we went on a date," he muttered. Katara's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped when she heard that and for some reason the information perturbed her a bit. "You guys dated?" she asked, slightly anxious for his answer.

"No, it was just one date," he replied, taking another sip of his tea, trying to be casual while the blush still staining his cheeks burned brighter.

"Oh... was it fun?" she asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

"What?"

"Was the date fun? Like what did you guys do?"

"Um it was okay. We went to dinner," Zuko replied. He had expected Katara to laugh and maybe make fun of him, but he didn't expect her to take an actual interest and interrogate him about the night.

"Just dinner?"

"We went to the fountain afterward."

Katara nodded. "That's nice. I heard the fountain's really pretty when the lanterns are lit."

"They weren't lit that night, so I lit them myself."

"You lit them? I thought you couldn't let anyone know you were a firebender then?" she asked.

"I told her to close her eyes, while I lit them," he said, a bit defensive.

"That's it. You told her to close while you do something that risky and just trusted that she'd listen?" Katara asked disbelievingly. She was a bit annoyed that he would do something like that, not because it was risky, but because it was for some girl.

Zuko just shrugged at her logic and continued to wonder why she took such an interest in that one night. "She seemed really sad that they weren't lit and I felt bad."

Katara absorbed what he said. It really wasn't that weird, Zuko would easily to something that sweet now, but picturing angry Zuko doing that was a different story. It was strange for her to think that Zuko had a different life in between the time he stopped chasing them and before he joined them. She couldn't help but wonder what else he did in that time, more specifically if he went on other dates with other pretty girls he met at the tea shop. The thought of Zuko going out on dates with other girls vexed her and she didn't understand why.

"Wow, that was sweet of you," she said in an astonished tone.

"Is it really that hard to believe I could do something nice?" he asked, his voice still stoic, but his expression obviously hurt.

Katara immediately felt bad for the implications in her tone, "No, its just that I wouldn't have expected you to do something like that...back then...for a girl."

Zuko shrugged it off, but still felt a bit guilty when he thought about his former self. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

It was quiet for a moment as the fire cackled in the background.

"What did you guys do at the fountain?"

"Nothing," was his reply.

"You didn't talk or anything?"

"We talked a little, we kissed, and then the date was over."

Katara's eyes widened and her grip on the mug tightened when she heard what he said. A shot of anger went through her before it was quickly replaced by confusion as to why the fact that they kissed made her angry at all. _Really, Katara, its a date. They most likely would've kissed, why are you so surprised?_

Even after rationalizing it, she still exclaimed, "You kissed her!"

Zuko was slightly taken aback by her loud tone, "Well, technically she made the first move," he replied and eyed Katara's expression for a while. "Why are you so interested, Katara?" he couldn't help but ask.

Why was she so interested? She knew Zuko had kissed people before, he had obviously kissed Mai. But Mai was different, she was his girlfriend, but Jin was just a girl he went out with once. The whole situation made her wonder how many woman had really come into Zuko's life before he joined the Gaang. Whether Jin was the only one, or if there were twenty other's, the idea of it still made Katara mad. But she definitely could not explain that to Zuko, she couldn't even explain it to herself! "I-I'm," she stuttered, racking her brain for an answer, "I'm just trying to picture little, angry Zuko kissing a girl," she said in a baby voice and pinched his cheek, which earned her a swat of the hand and a death glare with an added scowl.

"I've kissed girls before," he argued.

"Of course you have," she said sarcastically, knowing that he had in fact actually kissed girls, a thought she wasn't too fond of. "So what was she saying about showing you around the city?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Oh, um Uncle thought it would be a good idea to have her come to the tea shop a few days ago so we could 'catch up' and she offered to show me around?" he said awkwardly, leaving out the part about how Uncle expected him to have heirs with her.

"Why did you refuse?"

"I didn't want to lead her on. She's nice, but we only went on one date and I don't really like her that way," he replied. For some reason his answer made Katara feel a lot better and she struggled to keep the giddy smile off her face. Then another thought crossed her mind. "What was she talking about when she said she understood why you refused her offer then?"

Zuko's light blush turned bright crimson now. "Oh that, um I think she said that because she saw you and me...together..." he began, finding it too awkward to finish.

He looked over at Katara and watched as her expression changed from one of waiting to one of understanding as a pretty blush began to stain her cheeks. "Oh, she thought you and me were..." She let out a short awkward laugh. "Well, that's just silly," she said, trying to relieve the tension of the situation. She didn't really mean what she said though, if she was being totally honest with herself she would've probably liked for Jin's assumptions to be true. If she was being honest.

"Yeah, silly," Zuko said, giving his friend a small fake smile to reassure his words. _It isn't that silly, is it?_

Minutes of silence passed by as the pair soaked in the warmth of the fire.

"It's getting late and tomorrow's a big day. We should probably go to bed," Zuko said as he began to get up.

"You go ahead. I'm not that tired," Katara replied.

"You did take quite a nap," he teased. Katara gave him a half-hearted glare countered by the smile on her face. "Good night, Zuko," she said as if she were offended by his comment and wanted him to leave.

He chuckled at her and replied, "Good night, Katara," as he left the room.

Katara sat there, in the warm room with her cold tea and wondered what it would be like if Jin was right.

* * *

"Sokka, eat one cookie at a time! Don't stuff the whole tray in your mouth," Suki chided her husband. The couple had arrived in the Earth Kingdom in the morning along with the rest of the Gaang. The Peace Meetings were supposed to start this afternoon, but a ship filled with a few Fire Nation representatives had gotten lost, and even though they were on the right track now, they would still not arrive until early the next morning so the meetings were delayed

Zuko didn't mind though. After he had been assured that the ship and its members were safe, he had agreed to the Gaangs request to visit his uncle at the Jasmine Dragon. Now they all sat around a low table enjoying tea and pastries.

"So tell me, Snoozles, did you hand over your balls the day of the wedding or did Princess here let you hold on to them for a little while?" Toph smirked deviously. Over the years her comments had gotten more...colorful to say the least. Sokka gave the earthbender a glare, which of course didn't affect her. "Actually, Toph, married life has been great, thank you very much," Sokka said as he put an arm around his wife.

"Yes, tell us about life as newlyweds," Iroh chimed in, "I remember my first few months of marriage was quite the adventure, filled with laughter and love, though we did have our fair share of fights, but the making up was worth it," the former general grinned cheekily, causing Zuko to visibly cringe at the mental picture of his uncle 'making up' with anyone.

Suki and Sokka began to tell stories of their new lives and what they were planning for the future.

"We're planning on staying in Kyoshi until Suki picks and trains a new leader for the Kyoshi Warriors," said Sokka, "then we're going to move back to the South Pole so, when the time comes, I can take over as chief."

"So, who's going to be the new leader for the Kyoshi Warriors?" asked Katara.

"I'm not sure yet, but so far it's between Jade, Ty Lee, and Harima," replied Suki.

"Ty Lee would probably be a good pick," chimed in Haru.

The Gaang and Iroh talked more about the Kyoshi Warriors which led to Toph telling about her time in Omashu which led to Aang discussing how well the rebuilding of the air temples was going.

"What about you Miss Katara?" asked Iroh, "How has life been in the South Pole?"

"Yeah," Sokka said, "you haven't responded to my letters in weeks."

Zuko was relieved that he wasn't the only person Katara hadn't responded to. He didn't want to ask her about it because he didn't want to seem needy, although he did need her.

"Sorry, I meant to respond to everyone, but then things got so busy and then I figured I'd see everyone soon enough anyway," she replied.

"What happened?" asked Aang.

Katara began to tell her friends about Karuk's situation. "This guy was brought into the Healing Hut. He had really bad injuries and was unconcious when they got him there. Apparently he was attacked by a tiger-seal. Anyway, he had a lot of bad wounds and even after we healed most of those he was still in a coma for weeks. We weren't sure if he was going to wake up at all. Tana had put me in charge of caring for him. I felt so badly for his mother, she was so worried and would hardly ever leave his bedside," Katara had to reign in her emotions as she remembered how Nala had cried in her arms. "Thank La he woke up though. He needed help eating and stuff after being unconcious for so long and along the way Karuk and I became great friends."

"Is that his name? Karuk?" Zuko asked impassively. Iroh glanced at his nephews expression, it was perfectly neutral, but the old general knew his nephew well enough to know when Zuko was uninterested and when Zuko pretended to be uninterested.

"Oh yeah," said Katara, "and he's even a waterbender too. He came from the North to help rebuild."

The Gaang asked more about Karuk. Toph and Sokka were most interested in hearing how gruesome his injuries were and how the tiger-seal attacked him. Zuko listened intently, but kept his expression stoic. _So what if he fought a tiger-seal?, _he thought, _I could fight a tiger-seal and I probably wouldn't lose either. _

Iroh watched as his nephews jaw clenched ever so slightly as Katara recounted tales of her new male friend. He glanced from his nephew to the waterbender and back to his nephew and slowly took another sip of his tea.

* * *

Aang bit back yet another yawn as he faintly listened to the men drone on. This meeting had been one of the longest yet and he could see it wasn't taking a toll on just him. His friends were obviously itching to leave too. Suki had to poke Sokka to keep him awake, Toph amused herself by repetedly blowing her bangs out of her face, Haru was literally twiddling his thumbs, Katara sat slumped in her chair and even Zuko who usually managed to keep a rigid posture and stoic expression during these meetings, was looking bored and deflated.

Aang looked out the window and wondered if there would be enough sunlight to take Appa out for a ride. He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when there was a loud bang from a fist hitting the table.

"It's Earth Kingdom land! The war is over so the Earth Kingdom should get it back!" shouted one of the green-clad representatives.

"The Fire Nation has had those colonies since before the war even started, Representative Sheng. Fire Nation citizens have been living there for generations," replied Nobleman Yong calmly.

"It really isn't practical for the Earth Kingdom to take back the colonies anyway," chimed in another Earth Kingdom rep.

"It's not about practicality, it's about principal!" argued Sheng as he jumped out of his seat, "The Fire Nation took what was ours and now we want it back!"

"No one is being harmed," insisted another Fire Nation council member, "In fact it is helping replace the hostile feelings between the people of the Earth Kingdom and the people of the Fire Nation with new feelings of tolerance and acceptance. The two nations' citizens work together, their children are friends. Fire Nation citizens have built lives there. We can't just ask them to leave!"

"They can come back once they've obtained proper Earth Kingdom citizenship," replied Sheng.

"That's ridiculous and you know it," cried Yong, "Citizenship takes months, even years to obtain. What are the people supposed to do in that time?"

"Fire Nation citizen's problems are not my concern," replied Sheng coldly.

"That is exactly the kind of attitude that makes our world so hard to rebuild," said Yong. Many other representatives from all the nations agreed.

"This world wouldn't need rebuilding if it wasn't for the Fire Nation," spat Sheng bitterly. "The Fire Nation took our land before and they'll take it again, they are not to be trusted," he said looking at the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe representatives. "Generations of wickedness run through those veins," he said, pointing a finger at Zuko. "Ozai's blood runs through him and no matter how good and changed he _pretends _to be, evil will always be in him."

"ENOUGH!" echoed an authoratative voice. A heavy fist pounded on the wooden table, causing it and its contents to shake and rattle. The men cringed in their seats for they had never seen the usually placid Avatar so angry before. Even Katara was shocked. She had been angry at Sheng's words too and was about to defend Zuko when Aang beat her to it.

Aang was enraged that even after three years of peace, people-representatives even-voiced such cruel words so freely. His face was red and his eyes were deathly and looking right at Sheng. "How dare you accuse Fire Lord Zuko of such things! He has done nothing but strive to better the Fire Nation and its relations with the other nations since he took the throne! He went against his family, his home and everything he knew to help me master firebending and save the world, yet you have the audacity to question his motives!" Aang shouted. He could feel the pent up energy inside him and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Now was not the time nor place to go into Avatar State. "Fire Lord Zuko has proved himself to me and the world time and time again and does _not_ deserve such disrespect," he said more calmly, but the harsh authority that Aang rarely used was still present in his tone. "Tempers are obviously high right now. I'm calling a recess. This meeting will resume in an hour when our minds are cooler," Aang declared. The representatives quickly rose and scurried out of the meeting hall. Aang sighed deeply as he slumped back in his chair. He glanced over to see how his friend was, but Zuko was already gone and judging by his friends expressions they didn't know where he went either.

"I'll go find him," announced Katara and the others nodded in agreement.

Katara searched through numerous palace corridors and rooms while mentally cursing the firebender for being so damn sneaky. She searched for at least a quarter of an hour before the answer to where Zuko was became so obvious she was annoyed at herself for not thinking of it sooner. Katara walked briskly through the gardens not even giving a passing glance to the beautiful rose bushes or shimmering fountains as she made her way to the far corner of the gardens.

When she finally got to her destination she saw him, sitting on the stone bench under the shade of the overgrown oak tree, staring into the pond. He didn't look up, but she knew he knew she was there. They could always feel each others presence.

Katara went and sat silently next to him and waited. He would talk when he was ready.

She waited patiently. She didn't sigh heavily or make a sound as the minutes ticked by, she just waited. And Zuko appreciated that. Katara was not a patient person, but for him she tried.

"I try," he began in aa strangled voice, immediately grabbing Katara's attention and sympathy, "I try so hard to make things right, to fix the mistakes of my people. I know my ancestors have done horrible things, I know I've done horrible things, but I'm trying to make it right. I'm really trying, Katara. I swear," he whispered looking up at her. The pain and sadness she saw in his glassy amber eyes made her heart ache in a way it never had before. This was not the strong, hard man she knew, this was the confused boy she had met in the catacombs all those years ago. She despised Sheng for doing this to Zuko, the person she viewed as unbreakable was crumbling before her eyes and she knew it was her job to keep him together.

She put a comforting hand on his leg so he would look at her again. The simple touch made Zuko felt a lot better than he would've thought. "I know you're trying. Everyone can see how hard you're trying and you are doing a great job, Zuko. Sheng, like a lot of other people, is just stuck in the past. He refuses to see the here and now and people like him make fixing the world difficult. But don't let people like him make you think twice about who you are and what you're doing," she said compassionately.

Zuko let out a humorless laugh that Katara did not like at all. "He's right though," he said, looking back into the pond at his reflection. "Ozai's blood does run through me. A part of me will always be like him."

"No," Katara said firmly, causing Zuko to look at her in surprise from the harsh undertone in her voice. "Don't you dare say that, Zuko. Never even think that again," she ordered. "You are nothing like your father. Nothing. Your father was selfish and cruel, you are too compassionate and generous to ever be anything like him. Don't you ever let anybody make you think like that ever again," she declared. She looked at him to make sure he understood and after seeing the intensity in her eyes, he did. She began again in a softer tone, "You're a good person, Zuko. In fact you're probabaly the best person I've ever met. Three years of peace can't fix a hundred years of mistrust, but in time even people like Sheng will see and regret the things they said. Don't let what a few ignorant people say make you forget the great person that you are," she finished resolutely.

It was quiet in the little spot for a moment as Zuko let everything that Katara said sink in. Her hand was still on his leg and he put his own hand on hers. "Thank you, Katara, for being here," he said softly, looking sincerely into her blue eyes.

She looked right back and returned the smile. "I always will be."

* * *

Okay so definitely more Zutara in this chapter in an attempt to make up for the lack of Zutara in the last chapter


	11. A Beautiful Future

First off, I'm soooo sorryy for the super late update and I know I've been saying that a lot lately, but life gets busy. Especially with school ending, I have AP exams, regular exams, projects, blah blah blah. Add all that to a case of disinterest and writer's block and you get a late update. But I definitely will finish this story, because I absolutely hate it when people don't and when summer starts updates will be a lot more frequent!

Oh and I apologize in advance for the lack of Zutara in this chapter, but I need to buld the plot. There will definitely be more Zutara in coming chapters.

* * *

**A Beautiful Future**

The crisp winter air was a refreshing wake up call for Katara as she stepped out of her home and onto the streets of the Southern Water Tribe. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of the cool air, relishing the fresh feeling it brought to her lungs. They had left Ba Sing Se about a week ago and it was almost nightfall when they docked last night. Today she was looking forward to spending the morning wandering the city before she went to help Pakku teach his waterbending class.

Her first destination was the Healing Hut.

"Hello, Tana," Katara greeted brightly as she ran into the head healer.

"Katara! It's so great to see you again," Tana replied as she pulled the younger woman into a hug. "How was the Summit?"

"It was great. Things are still a little shaky, but they're getting better every year."

Tana nodded, "Three years of peace can only start to mend the wounds of a hundred years of war," she said with all the wiseness of someone who has seen and been through too much. "But you always have been a great healer, Katara."

"Thank you, Tana," she said sincerely to the older woman. Her gaze shifted from the old woman's to wander around the hut, on the look out for that familiar face, but she couldn't find it. "Tana, where's Karuk?"

The gray haired woman laughed. "Katara, it's been a month since you've been gone. Did you really expect him to still be stuck in bed after the expert healing you performed on him?"

"So he's gone?" she asked with a furrowed brow and slightly disappointed tone.

"Of course, he left two weeks ago, eager to get out of the confines of his bed," she said. "Although, I think some of that eagerness to leave was because you weren't around to keep him company anymore. That boy seemed to have really taken a liking to you, Katara," Tana said with a little smile, the lines around her eyes crinkling as if she knew something Katara didn't.

Katara blushed crimson, only causing Tana's smile to turn into a little laugh. "I'm sure he's out looking for you somewhere right now, dear. La knows he'll be ecstatic to see you again."

Katara blushed brighter and quickly thanked Tana and turned away so the older woman could not see anymore of her burning cheeks. She greeted some of the other healers before she left the hut. As she walked outside she wondered what she was supposed to do now, since she still had a few more hours until she had to help Pakku. While she walked the icy streets, contemplating on how she should spend her day, she didn't even notice the person in front of her until she walked right into him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't-Katara!" yelled the man before he pulled her into a hug. "It's so great to see you again!" he said as he pulled away, but still held on to her upper arms.

Katara looked at the man in front of her with a confused expression before she registred that it was Karuk and her eyes widened. It had only been a month since she had last seen him, but he looked so different that it could've been years. The man before her with broad shoulders and cropped brown hair that complimented his strong facial features looked nothing like the bandaged and broken body she had remembered. But the sapphire eyes and stunning smile assured her that it was really the same Karuk.

"Karuk, is that really you?" she asked, mild disbelief weaved into her voice.

"The one and only," he laughed as he gestured to himself.

"You look so different! I mean in a good way. I mean not that the way was bad before, but..." Katara's blush returned. _Damn it, I'm so awkward!_

Karuk laughed at her nervous ranting. "I'll take that as a compliment. You look pretty good yourself, must be all that sun in Ba Sing Se. There's only a few hours of it here around this time."

"Yeah the weather here is definitely different from the breezy days there."

"I want to hear about your trip. Are you busy now?"

Katara shook her head.

"Good, let's get something to eat then," he said, tilting his head toward the row of restraunts. As they walked through the streets, Katara couldn't help but steal glimpses at Karuk when he wasn't looking. She just couldn't believe how different he looked. How good he looked, she though with a blush.

She had looked a bit too long though, since he caught her. "What are you staring at?" he asked quizzically.

"Nothing," she quickly responded and faced forward. _Tui, Katara, why are you such a creep? _"It's just that it's weird seeing you out of bed, walking around..."

"Don't lie, I know you're staring because you think I'm hot," he joked, a playful grin on his face

Katara's jaw dropped before she shoved him lightly. "I see you're still as conceited as when I left you," she said sarcastically and the two bantered as if she'd never left at all.

"I didn't here you denying it," he replied in a sing-song voice.

"I think I liked you better in a coma," she laughed.

"Ouch, that hurt. I see the vacation didn't help much with that attitude."

"Excuse me? I don't have an attitude and it wasn't a vacation. I was performing my worldly duties, thank you very much," she said, pointing her nose in the air and walking ahead of him.

"Okay, Miss Worldly Duties, tell me what you did there," he said as they took a seat inside the restraunt.

Katara began recounting everything to Karuk, from sneaking out of the Earth Palace to sitting through boring meetings. She told him all about the crowded streets of Ba Sing Se and the myriad of sights and smells that wafted through the air. She told him about Iroh's tea shop and about how Sokka and Suki would be moving back in a few months. What she didn't tell Karuk was her conversation with Zuko about Jin her first night there or how she had seen Zuko break for the first time. She hadn't told anyone about those things, those moments were between her and Zuko and even talking about them with someone else felt like a crime. Besides, an afternoon of catching up wasn't exactly the place for heavy topics.

"So what have you been up to while I was gone?" Katara asked after she finished her account.

"You know, fought a few tiger-seals, saved the city a couple times, the usual," he said sarcastically.

"A few tiger-seals, huh? Funny, a couple months ago you couldn't even handle one," she retorted, a smirk on her lips.

Karuk gave her a half-hearted glare. "You'll never let me live that down will you?"

"I let you live, isn't that enough?" she replied.

"Got me there," he said with a laugh, "But honestly, I haven't been up to much. I finally got out of the Healing Hut about two weeks ago and mom hasn't let me out of her sight since then. I finally convinced her to let me out of the house since I heard you were back. It's been pretty boring around here without you, Katara," he said sincerely. Katara couldn't help but smile at that.

She was about to reply, when her eyes widened as her gaze wandered out the window and she saw how far the sun had sank in the sky. _I forgot about Pakku!_

Katara jumped out of her seat at the remembrance of her neglected promise. "I have to go!" she yelled as she made her way toward the door. Karuk quickly got up and followed her, confused as to whether he had said something wrong. "Where are you going?" he asked, trying to keep the disappointment from seeping into his voice.

"Master Pakku! La, I totally forgot!" was the only explanation she gave, leaving him just as confused as before. "This was really fun, Karuk, but I have to go now," she called behind her as she raced out the door. "I'll see you later!" she yelled.

"Yeah, okay...," Karuk replied half-heartedly as he watched her speed away. "Wait, Katara!" he yelled, causing her to turn around, but continue walking backward. "Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow?" he shouted to her retreating form.

"Sure! See you then," she yelled back, before she turned around and started jogging toward the training grounds.

_Pakku's going to kill me._

* * *

"A little more to the right- a little more- a little more,"

"Karuk, there is no more right!" Katara yelled to the ground below from her position on the ladder.

"Katara, the latern has to be exactly in the middle or else it won't look right," he replied cautiously, not wanting to get yelled at again by the girl above him. It didn't work.

"It is in the middle!" she cried, exasperated and annoyed.

"No it's not," he answered calmly.

Katara fumed. His level-headed tone only made her angrier. "FINE! If you know everything, why don't you just put up the stupid lanterns then!" she shouted.

"Fine, I will," Karuk responded, the calmness of his tone turning into slight annoyance.

Katara began climbing down the ladder, mumbling about arrogant know-it-all men and asking herself why she asked one to help her decorate for the Winter Solstice Festival in the first place. While mentally cursing out Karuk, Katara had missed the next wrung and soon found herself losing her balance. The sense of falling came a split-second later and she instinctively prepared herself for the impact. To her surprise, she was not caught by the ice-covered ground, but instead by strong, blue-clad arms. She opened her eyes and was met with saphirre eyes, their eyes locked and a strange feeling came over her, she basked in it for a moment before she had to look away. It was suddenly too much blue.

Karuk smirked to hide his hurt at her looking away. "Someone's clumsy," he teased as he set her down.

"Yeah, yeah, just shut up and hang the lanterns," she said, her tone annoyed, but her lips curved into a smile.

"Yes, your majesty," he mumbled before climbing up the ladder.

Katara watched as he hung the lantern and silently admitted that it looked better more toward the right. He didn't need to know that though.

Over the past few weeks, since she had gotten back from Ba Sing Se, Katara had spent most of her free time with Karuk. Every moment she was not in the Healing Hut or helping Master Pakku train his students, she was with either Karuk or Nala. He had introduced her to his friends, who were a lot like Karuk, easy-going and good-humored and Karuk had met her family too. While Gran-gran and Pakku took a liking to him, Hakoda absolutely adored Karuk. The two had got along extremely well, almost to the point of it being sort of creepy.

Needless to say, the two waterbenders had grown extremely close. Karuk had easily become one of her best friends and sometimes when she looked at him, she found herself looking longer than a friend should. And apparently it had not gone unnoticed.

_"You and Karuk seemed to have grown very close," said Gran-gran after dinner one night as the two women were clearing the dishes._

_"Yeah, we've become really good friends," Katara replied distractedly as she washed the dishes with her bending._

_"Hmm," was Gran-gran's reply as she continued to wipe the table._

_"Why do you bring it up?" Katara asked, knowing her grandmother's reply had a lot more meaning than she let on._

_"It's just that you two spend a lot of time together..."_

_Katara had completely abandoned the dishes by now. "What are you implying, Gran-gran?"_

_Kanna now looked at her grandaughter and smiled, "I see the way you look at him, Katara. And I see the way he looks at you too. Looks like that are not the looks of two people who are just friends."_

_"Gran-gran, don't be ridiculous!" Katara said with a blush at her grandmothers implications._

_"I'm not being ridiculous! The boy is obviously infatuated with you and I know my grandaughter well enough to know you feel for him as well."_

_Katara's silence told Kanna that she was right in her suppositions. Katara watched as her grandmother walked toward her. Gran-gran looked at her with pale blue eyes, full of wisdom and caring, "Katara, you are almost eighteen already and your life will soon pass you by. He's a great man. You two could have a beautiful future together," she said before she turned to leave the kitchen, leaving Katara mulling over her final words. _

_Gran-gran turned back to face her once she was at the door-frame, "Oh and La knows your father would not be a problem. He would probably marry the boy if he could!"_

The conversation had happened weeks ago and still it rattled in her mind. She knew her feelings for Karuk were strong, but was she ready to act on them?

* * *

The annoyance of decorating had paid off, the town square sparkled from the glow of the lanterns and the light of La. The entire town had come out to celebrate the sacred season. Men, women and children were all dancing on the floor, enjoying the heat of the tightly packed bodies and the beat of the drums. Some people gathered around the tables surrounding the dancefloor and chatted as they drank arctic wine.

"We did a pretty good job decorating, didn't we?" Katara said as she watched the scene before her.

"Um, I think you mean I did a pretty good job decorating. All I remember you doing was getting mad at me," Karuk replied.

"Well, if you weren't so annoying maybe I wouldn't get mad at you," she retorted.

"Well, if you weren't so annoying maybe I wouldn't get mad at you," he mocked. Katara glowered at him, which only caused him to chuckle. "I'm just teasing you, Katara," when this didn't appease her he added, "It really does look great. We did a good job."

Katara smiled at him before pulling him toward the mass of people, "Come on, let's dance!"

* * *

As the night wore on, the celebration showed no sign of coming to the close. The children of La would not rest until the moon did. However, some of the younger children could not last that long and many were taken home to sleep by their parents, while the other more stubborn children who had refused to leave were now slumped and sound asleep in various chairs.

Even the most rigid of the townspeople loosened up with a little help from some arctic wine, and by the middle of the night everyone still awake was dancing wildly to the beat of the drums. Katara laughed loudly as Karuk spun her around. She was feeling absolutely giddy and just so alive, whether the high was from the wine, the dancing, the full moon, or just being around Karuk she wouldn't know.

He spun Katara back toward him and as he looked at her beautiful face, flushed from wine and dancing, and stared into her bright blue eyes, brimming with excitement, he knew.

"Katara, I-I think I love you," he stated, both anxious and afraid of her reaction. But whether she reciprocated his feelings or felt nothing of the sort, he was glad he had finally told her.

Katara's eyes widened and her mouth dropped when she heard Karuk's words. She knew he had some sort of feelings for her since he had asked her out once, but love? Was she ready for that?

The beating of the drums dulled in comparison to Karuk's beating heart as he awaited her reaction. The world slowed and blurred until all that was clear was Katara. As seconds passed and she still didn't say anything, he wondered if he had lost a friend tonight. "I'm sorry," he said looking away from her, hurt obvious in his eyes, "I shouldn't have-"

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by warm lips pressed against his.

Katara didn't know what made her kiss him; what made her do something so spontaneous and impulsive. Perhaps it was Gran-gran's words or perhaps it was the knowledge that her future was fast approaching, she was no longer a girl of fourteen, but a woman now and as a woman she wanted a man by her side. Katara was always independent and strong, but that didn't mean she wasn't fallible, that she didn't want some sort of love and support that was different from the family kind. And what better person than Karuk? He was already one of her best friends and was one of the few people to really know her. She couldn't say she loved him yet, but she knew she was falling fast.

As she pulled away, her eyes fluttered open to smiling saphirre eyes and she knew Gran-gran was right, she could have a beautiful future with this man.

That spring, Karuk had presented her with a beautiful cobalt and saphirre necklace and her future began.

* * *

This chapter was really hard to write, so please be merciful. And I know I made their relationship kind of speed up, but I need to get a move on with the story so I can actually get to the good, more Zutara-y part.


	12. Invitation

**Invitation**

He stared at the piece of parchment as the minutes passed by. He knew he should've been doing other things, he had a stack of papers on his desk that needed reviewing, signing or something else, but he just couldn't draw his attention away from this letter. Ever since he had recieved it, it remained in the forefront of his mind.

He traced his thumb along the seafoam border trimmed with creme and white beads, his fingers delicately trailed the edge of the blue colored paper. He stared at the gold, his eyes roving over the words he had seen a thousand times before in the past few days. Four days to be exact. Four days since he had gotten Katara's wedding invitation.

She had told Zuko about it well in advance, of course. In her letters she had droned on and on about the planning and the flowers. He already knew what the center pieces would look like! But those were all just plans, ideas that may never come into existence, but this crafted piece of parchment was proof. Tangible, physical proof that Katara was getting married.

When she had told him about her engagement, he immediately wrote her letter back saying how happy he was for her, but that night he had tossed and turned all night with the single idea that Katara was engaged. Now, since he had gotten the actual wedding invitation sleep had become a foreign thing altogether.

Four long days and restless nights had not helped him in the slightest in figuring out how he felt about all this. He told her he was happy for her. He so desperately wished it were true.

Zuko slumped in his desk, hands over his face, wondering how this one piece of parchment could cause so much inner confusion. _Am I really that horrible of a person that I can't be happy for my best friend? _He cringed at the thought. Katara, who was kind even when he was undeserving, who pieced him back together when the weight of a struggling nation was too much, was now getting married and he had to _try _to be happy for her.

"What is wrong with me?" he said as he ran his hand through his shaggy hair.

He came to the conclusion that he was happy for Katara, but the happiness was tainted. As much as he wanted to he couldn't feel that pure, unblemished joy that should come when your best friend is getting married. His happiness was laced with fear that he was slowly losing Katara, hurt that he may no longer be a priority to her, anger at himself for being so selfish and a twinge of jealousy that she might find happiness with someone else.

He shook his head as if it will also shake away the lingering thoughts. He would just have to get over his conflicting emotions. He would go to her wedding and he would be happy for her. _Because if our roles were reversed, she wouldn't even need to think about it._

* * *

Katara looked in the mirror for a long time, unable to believe that the woman standing before her would be getting married in just a few moments. She would be starting a new chapter of her life and today was just the first page.

"Katara, are you alright?" asked Kanna from the door.

"I'm fine, Gran-gran," she replied, still looking into the mirror.

Kanna walked over to stand behind her grandaughter. She placed her wrinkled hands on Katara's shoulders and both their gazes met in the mirror. "You look absolutely beautiful, Katara. I can't believe my grandaughter's getting married," she said, tears threatening to seep into her voice. "Your mother would be so proud of you, Katara. Of everything you've done and the woman you've become."

"Don't make me cry, Gran-gran," Katara said with a smile, tears welling up in her voice too. "Suki spent forever putting this make-up on me."

Kanna wiped away the brimming tears and laughed. "Look at me, you haven't even walked down the aisle yet and I'm already tearing up."

Katara turned around and embraced her grandmother, her role model. "I love you, Gran-gran."

"I love you too, Katara," Kanna replied, hugging her grandaughter back. When the two woman pulled away, Kanna held on to Katara's arms and looked her in the eye. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Katara had asked herself this question countless times before. She would sift through her emotions and ambitions to try to find the answer and still she would end up unsure. What if marriage wasn't the right choice? What if she still wasn't ready? What if Karuk wasn't right for her? Sometimes she felt horrible for thinking these things, but was it wrong to worry about the future?

All these thoughts and questions had plagued her through all the planning and ordering of flowers and dresses and everything up until last week. One night she had to get away from her overly-crowded house and wedding talk just for a second. She went to the northern side of town so no one would bother her. She liked going there because it had the main bridge where if you took the time to climb up to, you were rewarded with the most amazing view of the city one could ever dream of. There she ran into Karuk. Through all the chaos that was wedding planning she ironically hadn't seen him much over the past few weeks. She had smiled and he had smiled back. They stood there together, staring down at the city, a comfortable silence that spoke a thousand words between them. And thats when she knew.

"I'm sure"

* * *

Zuko had seen Katara look beautiful in formal attire, in anything really, countless times before. But something about how she looked right now, as she walked toward the alter, made her stunning. Her skin glowed against the pale blue of her gown. Her shining crystal eyes, brimmed with excitement, yet still possessed a subtle sort of tranquility. But what made her beautiful, what made her truly breathtaking at that moment was her smile.

Katara always smiled, he had noticed it from the moment he'd joined he Gaang, before that even (although back then most of the smiles weren't directed toward him). He'd also been able to see that most of her smiles were for the benefit of others, a sort of duty she had taken on, to always seem happy. Always reassure everyone else that everything was alright, whether it was or not. It was something he'd always admired, yet pitied about her. There were moments when the smiles were real of course, when she was with her friends or when she was bending by the pond on a lazy summer day. But then there were moments when it was beyond that. Moments where one couldn't believe a person could hold so much happiness, so much light in them. This was one of those moments.

Zuko watched the ceremony unfold before him. The Elders recited the traditional blessings and prayers for the new couple. The vows exchanged included little jokes and subtle glances that only the bride and the groom could understand. They poured the wine from their seperate glasses into one goblet and drank from it, smiles steadfast as the liquid grazed their lips. Finally, the kiss came and everyone stood up to cheer and clap for the happy couple and Zuko joined them in hopes that the laughter would drown out the sound of his racing heart.

* * *

Zuko sat and watched the merriment around him as drank from his wine glass. He was the only one at the table now. The rest of his friends were dancing and had been for the past hour or so. They had repetedly asked him to join, but he was not in the dancing mood.

The reception was beautiful, a dream of blue and white. It was held in the town square, which Katara had informed him was where most of their big celebrations were held. Tables were scattered around the large tented area that was the dancefloor and strings of shells and beads hung from post to post. The lanterns illuminated the starkissed night and the cool summer air was fresh and smelled faintly of the sea.

He saw Katara walking towards him, her hair and dress billowing in the slight breeze that floated by, her smile still beaming. He noticed that she had let her hair down.

"You look like you're having fun," she said sarcastically, now sitting in the chair beside him.

"I am having fun," he defended.

"You're sitting here by yourself, drinking wine," she retorted.

"Maybe thats fun for me."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's dance," she said, extending an arm out to him.

"I don't really feel like dancing," he said and immediately felt bad when her smile dimmed.

Katara had noticed that Zuko had been acting distant towards her ever since he arrived last week. When she met him at the docks, he had been quiet, offering a congratulations and not much more. She had shared comfortable silences with Zuko before, but that walk was different, like something was bothering him. Admittedly after that, she had been pulled in a thousand different directions to attend to last minute wedding details and hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to any of her friends. But even during meal times, Zuko seemed distracted, failing to add in an eye roll at Toph's antics or a witty remark to something Sokka had said. She asked him about it a few days ago, but he just brushed it off as work stress and she was pulled off somewhere else before she could push the issue.

"You can't say no to the bride on her wedding day," she pushed. "Please," she added when he still refused to get up.

He turned back to her and saw her eyes had a sort of pleading look in them in addition to the regular playfulness. _I'm being selfish. It won't kill me to dance a little._

"Fine," he sighed.

She squealed delightedly as she stood up and he couldn't help but smile at how happy he'd made her by agreeing to such a simple thing. She led him, well, dragged him, into the crowd.

The music had mellowed from the traditional upbeat drumming solos of the water tribes to a softer type played on an instrument the resembled his own nation's sungi horn. He rested one hand on the small of Katara's back and took hold of her hand with the other. The music was soft and soothing as they swayed to the melody.

"So, you're married now," he commented.

She laughed, "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Do you think you'll like it? Married life?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Katara thought for a moment. She thought of how her life with Karuk would be. They would have wonderful times together, but were bound to face the hardships that came with life. But thats what she wants, a life filled with pain and pleasure, sorrow and delight, happiness and misery and everything else that life has to offer. And she wants to share that with someone else. When her hairs become silver and her bones become frail, she wants to look back on all the incredible memories with her husband by her side.

"Yes," she replied confidently.

"How are you so sure though?"

"Because I love him," she responded simply.

Zuko nodded and the pair let the music fill the lull in conversation as they continued to dance. As the song ended, Zuko pulled Katara close and told her what he'd been wanting to say all along. "I'm-I'm really happy for you, Katara."

* * *

A/N: This chapter should've been posted a while ago and I don't really have an excuse except for general disinterest. But I'm trying to get back into the pairing and find my muse again and I definitely will finish the story, because I hate it when authors just abandon their readers. I promise I will _try_ to update faster


	13. Moving On

I'm soooo story for the lateness of this chapter. Thanks to everyone who is still reading this story. Just to refresh everybody's memory, Katara is around 18 and Zuko is around 20 now.

* * *

**Moving On**

As the weeks went on the thrill of summer celebration gave way to a new season of sadness. That autumn Master Pakku passed away.

The illness had been progressive, slowly weakening him until he could barely get out of bed. He didn't complain though, he refused to spend his last days being bitter. When his time had finally run out, he thought back on his life and regretted nothing. The mistakes he had made shaped his life and though his generation had been ravaged by war, his life had still been filled with love and strength. With that in mind Pakku finally closed his eyes for the last time.

Kanna would never forget the look on her husbands face when he passed. It was one filled with acceptance, a quiet sort of contentment. She had grieved for him and when the men sent his body out to sea she had cried for him. But her tears dried just like they always did. She had lost many loved ones throughout her life, more than a person should, but it made her stronger. If this world had taught her anything it was that life always goes on. Soon though, she would see him again soon.

Iroh had come to honor his old friend by attending his funeral. His normal cheery façade had given way to a more solemn attitude in the face of this loss. Pakku had been one of his oldest friends. He had helped Iroh in many ways when he first joined the Order of the White Lotus. He watched as the dim light of the lantern faded into the blackness of the sea as his friend finally returned to his true home, surrounded by his element. He would mourn Pakku, but in the end, a person's life was to be remembered, not his death.

Katara stared into the ocean as the salty sea breeze stung her cheeks. It was early autumn, but the temperature was already getting colder and colder. Tonight it was freezing. Just hours ago she stood at this same spot and watched the men send her grandfather's body out to sea. She didn't cry then. She let a tear or two escape, but she didn't truly cry. Pakku was her grandfather and she loved him dearly, but for some reason she felt like it wasn't her tragedy. It was her grandmother's. It was her grandmother that was allowed to breakdown and sob until there were no more tears left and it was Katara's duty to be the strong one. It was a heavy burden to bear.

As she sat by the sea, the cold air whipping her hair about and no one to watch, she relieved that burden and cried for her grandfather.

* * *

While autumn brought great sadness, spring brought great scheming.

Zuko watched with annoyance as his Uncle continued to sip his tea and read through the list. Finally, unable to hold in his displeasure any longer, Zuko spoke out. "Uncle, this is stupid! I don't want to do this!"

A few weeks ago the Council had sent a letter to his Uncle, telling him about the heir dilemma and asking him for help. They were apparently tired of the Fire Lord making excuses and false promises on this matter and really Zuko couldn't blame them, but that didn't mean he couldn't yell at them. Still, all the yelling in the world wouldn't stop his Uncle from taking matters into his own hands. His Uncle loved meddling and an invitation to do so was not something he would pass up.

Now both men were sitting in the gardens planning the 'Tea and Greet'. Iroh insisted on calling it that, no matter how many times Zuko asked him not to.

Iroh put down his tea and sighed. "Zuko, stop being so childish!" Normally Iroh was very patient, but the boy was just being so stubborn!

"I'm not being childish! I don't need my uncle to help me find a wife. I am perfectly capable of doing that on my own."

"Obviously not or the Council wouldn't have written me," Iroh quipped and took another sip of his tea.

Zuko scowled and crossed his arms before slumping back in his chair.

"You never know. You might actually have fun," Iroh said optimistically.

"Interviewing the stuck-up daughters of a bunch of noblemen is not my idea of fun," Zuko retorted.

"More often than not in life, you'll have to do things you don't want to. And after you find your wife, you'll get to make an heir," Iroh said, a cheeky grin on his aging face.

Zuko's face immediately turned a few shades redder causing Iroh to chuckle. "Uncle!"

After Iroh calmed down enough from his fit of laughter, he said, "I'm joking, Nephew. I'm joking." A pause. "But every joke holds some truth."

* * *

"Okay class that's enough for today!" Katara told her students. She had substituted for Pakku after he had gotten sick and after he passed away she became the permanent teacher. Katara remembered teaching the little children and watching their faces beam when they were able to do the simplest moves. Now they were older and moving with confidence and ease. She knew that soon they wouldn't need her anymore, they would become masters themselves and maybe one day have a class of their own.

She had ended class early today. Katara was eager to get home and be there for her grandmother. Pakku had died exactly six months ago and while her grandmother continued to show strength that Katara couldn't believe a person could hold, she could still see the sadness that flickered in her eyes. No matter how many people you lose it never gets any easier.

* * *

This afternoon was the 'Tea and Greet'. Dozens of noblewoman had infiltrated his palace to be asked a few questions in hopes that their answers would win them the coveted position of Fire Lady.

The women sat, mingled and drink tea in the Royal Garden. They were individually led to a more secluded part of the garden that was surrounded by hedges on two sides and shaded by a large cherry-blossom tree on the other. It was to ensure privacy and make sure they would not be disturbed. Although, a disturbance would be totally fine with Zuko.

The Fire Lord sat nervously in the cushioned chair as he awaited his first 'date'. Uncle had made a list of the over two dozen noblewoman who would be attending. He had also taken the liberty of making a list of incredibly pointless questions for him to ask each lady. He thought the questions were stupid, but according to Uncle "simple questions may reveal some interesting thoughts."

"Thank you for attending, Lady Kai Lang. Please take a seat."

"It is my honor, Fire Lord," she said as she gracefully sat down

"Let's begin. What is your favorite type of tea?" he asked, reading off the piece of parchment. _Really, Uncle, drinking tea three times a day isn't enough. Now it's used as criteria to judge my future wife?_

"I would say jasmine. The floral aroma is so refreshing to the palette," she replied, sweetly smiling behind her fan.

Zuko nodded, trying to look thoughtful. "And what color would you use to describe yourself?"

"I would choose red, because it's the color of the soft, delicate petals on a beautiful rose," she answered without missing a beat. He wondered if she had practiced answering pointless questions to prepare for today.

Zuko nodded. "Interesting. Finally, as Fire Lady, what would you do to improve the lives of your people?"

"I suppose I would start a charity," she replied, her voice getting a tad bit higher toward the end, making her statement sound more like a question.

"Charities help the people short-term and there are already many charity organizations in the Fire Nation. How would you help citizens find work so they can sustain themselves?"

Her bright honey-colored eyes were a little wide now with a hint of panic in them and the smile had long since faded from her rosy lips.

"I-I would…" she trailed off. Zuko decided to end her misery.

"Thank you for your time, Lady Kai Lang. You are welcome to enjoy another cup of tea and pastries in the garden." Zuko gave the woman a small smile before she left. He did feel a little bad for her. She didn't seem as haughty as some of the other noblewoman and she was obviously very flustered by the last question.

Zuko sighed and reclined in his seat as he waited for the next woman to come.

* * *

Uncle was right. Simple questions do reveal interesting thoughts.

Across from him sat Lady Zeena. He had recognized her before even looking at the list. She was Nobleman Chang's impudent daughter. Zuko's cheeks heated as he remembered "what a lovely" dancer she was the night of his birthday celebration.

Zuko cleared his throat. "So, Lady Zeena, what is your favorite type of tea?"

"My favorite type of tea," she repeated slowly, as her gaze went up in thought. "I prefer sake," she said, looking Zuko straight in the eye, a smirk on her cherry red lips.

Zuko tried to keep an impassive face to hide his discomfort. "Moving on, what color would you use to describe yourself?"

"Red. It's the color of passion. And I'm passionate in _everything_ I do." She wore the same mischievous glint in her eye that she had the day of his party.

Zuko looked down at the parchment so she wouldn't see the reddening of his cheeks at what she was implying. "Final question. As Fire Lady, what would you do to improve the lives of your people?"

"I believe charity starts at home. As Fire Lady, the Fire Lord's home will be my home," she said, leaning in a little closer to Zuko and lowering her voice to a more sultry tone. "And I know _exactly_ how to make the Fire Lord's life a little better." Zuko felt her small, slippered foot graze along his calf.

Zuko's immediately stood up, almost toppling his chair over in the process. "Thank you for attending, Lady Zeena," he said in a higher octave than he would've preferred. "You are welcome to enjoy another cup of tea and more pastries in the garden."

She stood up gracefully, hiding a small smirk behind her fan. She met Zuko's eyes and ever so slightly brushed against him as she left.

When she was gone Zuko sat back down. He ran his hands over his face and waited for the next 'date' to arrive. _This is going to be harder than I thought._

* * *

Katara was on her way to the training arena to visit her husband. At the end of every summer, the men of the tribe embark on the annual hunt. But since the end of the war, the tribe grew much bigger so all the men weren't required to go every year. Instead they took turns and this year was Karuk was one of the men chosen to go.

It no longer felt strange to call Karuk her husband. She remembered how odd the idea was when someone mentioned him as her husband when they had just gotten married. But after almost a year of marriage, the thought was so simple. The sky was blue and Karuk was her husband.

Another concept that was foreign to her when they first got married was the idea of being someone's wife. She was Katara, daughter of Chief Hakoda; Katara, Sokka's sister; Katara, the Avatar's friend; Katara the Master Waterbender and now she was Katara, Karuk's wife. When she was younger she had thought it was demeaning how people referred to woman as the wife of some man, instead of as their own person. She wanted to be more than someone's wife. Now she understood she was, that being someone's wife does not take away from who she is, but it adds to it. She was plenty more than just Karuk's wife, just like Karuk was more than just her husband.

Their marriage so far had been blissful. Yes, they had fights and argued over stupid stuff and not-so-stupid stuff, but they always made up eventually. To her surprise, she had actually accustomed to married life fairly easily. Katara was an independent person. All the loss in her life just made her stronger and less likely to rely on someone else for anything. She used to think she liked it that way. Now she realized how much little things like going home to someone everyday and having someone to hold you at night really mean. It also helped that Karuk was as much her friend as her husband. He treated her like an equal and not as an insubordinate, like other men in the tribe treat their wives. Marriage was going well for Katara.

When she got to the arena she saw that Karuk and another man were sparring with spears. She watched as they swung at each other, trying to knock the other off their feet. They moved with strength and agility, not a move was made without a purpose. Katara liked to come and watch the men train sometimes, it was like watching a dance. The warriors moved with precision and grace.

She felt a small surge of pride when Karuk knocked the other man down. He smiled and helped the man up, before spotting her.

"Hey," he said, sending her a dazzling smile, before giving her a quick kiss.

"Eww, you're all sweaty," Katara joked as she pushed away his bear chest.

"That is the stench of a winner," he declared with his chin high.

Katara just rolled her eyes. "Here, I brought you some lunch," she said as she handed him a parcel.

"You're the best," he said as he looked at the contents of the bag.

"And don't you forget it"

"Like you'd ever let me," he joked.

Katara smirked. "True"

"Are you planning to stay and watch some more?"

"I can't. I have to go to the market and Tana needs my help at the hut too."

"So I'll see you at home?"

Katara nodded. "But, I might be late. I'm planning to stop by at Dad's to see how Gran-gran's doing."

"Do I have to share my wife with everyone?" Karuk said in a mock-exasperated tone.

"Looks like it," Katara replied with a bright smile.


	14. I'm Back possibly

Hey guys, I know it's been a while since I've updated. The only excuse I can give is general disinterest and life getting in the way. I just watched a few episodes of Avatar though and got all nostalgic and decided to come back to this forum. Okay anyway I'm just going to cut to the chase here. Does anyone still care about this story, because if someone does I would like to continue it, but I don't want to waste my time if no one's reading it. So comment and let me know if you'd like me to continue!


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